5th October, 2023
Luis Enrique took the blame for Paris Saint-Germain’s heavy defeat against Newcastle in the Champions League.
The Parisians were outclassed by Eddie Howe’s men at St James’ Park, with Kylian Mbappe and Co struggling to impose themselves throughout.
Pressure is already building on the Spanish boss after winning just three of their first seven Ligue 1 games since his appointment this summer and this evening’s thrashing will raise further questions.
Asked in his post-match press conference if responsibility falls on him, Enrique said: “Yes, absolutely. There’s no doubt about that.
“I’m the first person that should take responsibility for that. I am responsible.
“The outcome of the game was fair even if the scoreline was a little bit too much in their favour. Perhaps not really a [completely] fair reflection.
“I think my players struggled a little bit with their [Newcastle’s] pressing game. They did everything that I asked them to do except for the final third, where we didn’t quite do what we wanted to do.
“In terms of the personality and attitude, I thought that was good but of course we made some careless mistakes which led to their goals.
“When you play at this level you can’t do that.”
PSG now trail Newcastle in second in their Champions League group but Enrique did not feel the need to panic just yet, suggesting the severity of the score was harsh on his side.
The 53-year-old added: “Both before and after the game we were second in the group. It was a good game, Newcastle were the better team.
“I don’t think the result really reflects the differences between the two teams, even though I feel that Newcastle deserved to win.”