Luis Enrique blames PSG loss on 'gifts' given to Bayern
Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique said his team handed Bayern Munich "big gifts" in its 2-1 Champions League defeat but insisted he was not looking for excuses despite mounting injuries within the defending champion's squad.
PSG was overwhelmed in the first half, falling 2-0 behind after a Luis Diaz double before the Colombian winger was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi, who had to be replaced before the break, following Ousmane Dembele back into the dressing room.
“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow after the tests,” Luis Enrique said. “Ousmane’s injury has nothing to do with the previous one. It’s football -- a contact sport. It’s unlucky because it’s complicated for the player, but these things happen like it happened to (Bayern’s) Jamal Musiala (against PSG at the Club World Cup last July).”
PSG has been ravaged by injuries this season with Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz all being sidelined.
While Luis Enrique admitted he needed to manage his squad better, he was not looking for excuses.
“In the first half, they were better than us. They created more chances, and we made some big gifts,” the Spaniard said. “When you make that kind of gifts to players like this, it’s normal to lose the match — we could even have conceded more goals.”
PSG improved after the break but were unable to convert long spells of possession into goals. “We did the job well in the second half and could have drawn the game,” Luis Enrique said.
Despite the setback, the coach said he remained calm.
“I can’t remember a single match this season with the whole team fit,” he said.
“We have to manage that. I’m not looking for excuses -- it’s our responsibility to do better. I’m calm and confident we’ll recover our players and our level. We’ve still played some very good matches.”
The result left Bayern top of the 36-team Champions League table with a maximum 12 points, while PSG sits third, three points behind.
