PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Three matches and just two points. Meanwhile, league leaders Monaco—who triumphed at the Parc des Princes last night—have already opened up a seven-point gap. It is certainly not the start Paris Saint-Germain fans expected, though Luis Enrique remains confident. The Asturian coach would have liked to celebrate the announcement of his contract extension through 2030 in a different way (“It’s the first time I’ve managed a team for four consecutive seasons, but I’m more motivated than I was in the first year; I hope to stay here for a long time, but I know I have to earn it”), yet the result isn’t the whole story. “We deserved the win,” he said after the defeat to Monaco. “It’s the classic match where you’re better than the opponent and create more chances, but the opposing goalkeeper is the man of the match. Just like what happened against Newcastle, Atlético Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, or Liverpool two years ago. We deserved to win, but football comes down to goals, and in that regard, we lost.” Luis Enrique downplayed the situation (“The defense? Monaco had two shots on target and scored two goals”), though he did not shy away from offering the customary praise to his counterpart, Filipe Luís. “Monaco defended very well; I liked the way they played. They’re in first place—congratulations to them and their coach.”
“What I want to get across, however, is that we shouldn’t focus on the result. We pressed much better than in other matches where we didn’t concede any goals. But this time, luck was against us; the result cannot erase everything we did well,” the Spanish coach insisted. “Monaco knows that if they played ten matches against us like this, we would win eight, draw one, and lose one—today’s match.” After two comeback draws against Rennes and Lille—in both cases after trailing 2-0—PSG had taken the lead this time, only to see the game turned around against them. Now, the standings show Monaco leading Ligue 1 with 9 points, while Marquinhos and his teammates sit on 2. “It’s incredible motivation,” Luis Enrique replied. “If you want to bet on who will be champion at the end of the season, we can do that. We’re seven points behind? Fine, we’ll try to rectify this situation as quickly as possible.” More than a promise, it was a threat.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
