Crucial Match for the Giant Against Slovan. L’Équipe Journalist: Enrique Remembers Everything

In an exclusive interview for ŠPORT.sk, Luc Hagege, a football editor for the prestigious French publication L’Équipe, stated that Wednesday evening's match against Slovan Bratislava would present Paris Saint-Germain with an ideal opportunity for a positive restart to their new season.

The dominant French champions and two-time consecutive Champions League winners have had a very poor start to the new Ligue 1 season (only two points from three matches, editor's note), and the encounter with Slovan could help PSG regain their confidence.

What were the most significant developments at PSG over the summer, since winning the Champions League and starting the new season?

“The most significant change is how Paris Saint-Germain revamped their attacking players. They sold four of them: Ibrahim Mbaye for 55 million euros to Aston Villa, Bradley Barcola for 140 million euros to Liverpool, Lee Kang-in for approximately 30 to 35 million euros to Atlético Madrid, and Gonçalo Ramos for 75 million euros to AC Milan.

To compensate for these departures, only three attacking players arrived: Ferran Torres from Barcelona, Mika Godts from Ajax, and Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco, each for approximately 50 million euros. The fourth addition to the squad is left-back Lucas Digne from Aston Villa. All other players in the team remained.

The most important development will be to observe how these new attackers – Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, who can also play in midfield, by the way, and Mika Godts – will compete with the three key offensive players who typically feature in important matches. These are Désiré Doué, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

I'll add one more extremely significant point – for the very first time in the summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain achieved a very positive financial balance. They sold players for much more money than they spent on acquisitions, ending up with a surplus of almost 200 million euros. This is truly a huge and important change.”

Right at the start, PSG has two draws and a loss on Friday against AS Monaco in Paris. What do you think is happening with Saint-Germain?

“There are many minor reasons why PSG's season start hasn't gone well. Firstly, we felt that after winning the European Super Cup in their first match against Aston Villa, which they won 2-1, they eased off a bit. Subsequently, they lost to Lens in the French Super Cup battle 1-0, and in their first three league matches, they drew with Lille and Rennes, and even lost at home in Paris to Monaco.

They've only collected two points, which is very concerning. The explanation is that they are somewhat weaker defensively, having conceded six goals in three matches, which is too many. They also have slightly less control over the game. They can still create a huge number of chances in every match, but they convert far fewer of them. On Friday against Monaco, especially in the first half, they had many opportunities but squandered a lot of them.

This is often a problem for the Parisian club; even in the past two seasons, they tended to waste chances and needed many opportunities to score. Since they are now a bit less assertive in attack, have slightly less control over the game, and are also a bit worse physically, they've had a tough time, especially because they faced very strong opponents like Rennes, Lille, and Monaco right at the start. For this reason, their entry into the season hasn't gone well.

The Champions League match against Slovan Bratislava is extremely important for them to truly kick-start their season in this competition. They are under slight pressure, but they are used to it and have everything necessary to overcome this hurdle.”

How did the French football public and PSG fans react when the draw pitted them against Slovan Bratislava?

“From the perspective of PSG fans, Slovan Bratislava was seen after the Champions League group stage draw as the absolute weakest opponent for Saint-Germain among all the teams the Parisians face in their schedule. Therefore, only victory is expected. Slovan is not very well-known in France, so there were no special reactions to this draw. It wasn't like Manchester City or FC Barcelona, which would have prompted fans to discuss it much more.”

Comparing PSG and Slovan, Saint-Germain is in a completely different football galaxy. Do you think Luis Enrique might field more bench players to rest his key figures? Could underestimation play a role in this match?

“As I said, Slovan Bratislava is not very well-known in France, and I don't think French fans have an exaggerated respect for them. PSG fans would not understand if their club didn't win this match with ease.

It's not entirely accurate to say there's a lack of respect, but they genuinely don't expect any scenario other than an easy victory. However, when it comes to Luis Enrique and the players themselves, the situation is different. They respect everyone, and I don't think they would underestimate any opponent. Nor do I think there's a completely different galaxy between PSG and Slovan.

This match will be extremely important for PSG, and therefore I expect them to field the best possible team. If we recall PSG's team from the Champions League final, I believe they will line up in a similar formation: Safonov – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes – João Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz, or perhaps Zaïre-Emery – Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. I think it will be a very similar lineup on Wednesday evening.

I certainly don't think Luis Enrique would ever underestimate anyone, especially not in the very first Champions League match. He has never underestimated anyone and certainly won't start now.”

Do you think coach Luis Enrique might have any special motivation against Slovan Bratislava, who eliminated his AS Roma team in the 2011 UEFA Europa League play-offs? Or is that just ancient and irrelevant history?

“You know, Luis Enrique has an excellent memory. He remembers everything. Personally, I don't think he'll bring it up himself unless he's asked about that 2011 match in a press conference, where Slovan Bratislava eliminated his then-team. For him personally, however, it could certainly be a form of motivation, that's clear (smiles).”

Since his arrival at Slovan, Yaya Touré has achieved excellent results and even exceeded public expectations in Slovakia by immediately guiding the club to the Champions League. Has this resonated in France?

“Yaya Touré is highly valued and well-known in France, also thanks to the large community of fans from Ivory Coast. The fact that he, as a coach, qualified Slovan Bratislava for the Champions League didn't cause any extraordinary stir, but he is very respected here, even after his time as a player at AS Monaco. So, while it didn't create a huge sensation, people in French football circles who are well-informed highly regard him and see that he could also become a good coach.”

What kind of match do you expect on Wednesday evening?

“It will be a very classic encounter. Paris Saint-Germain is accustomed to this type of match, facing so-called smaller teams that defend in a deep block. In their domestic league, PSG constantly faces such teams. Therefore, I expect the Parisians to have 75 percent or more possession and create a huge number of scoring opportunities.

As always with this team, if they are well-tuned, efficient, and convert most of their chances early on, it could result in a significant victory for the home team.

However, sometimes they squander many chances, and if they fail to score from the first, second, or third opportunity, they can become unsettled, and the match can become complicated. Nevertheless, it will likely be a typical match where PSG will absolutely dominate, even if they are not yet 100% physically prepared, as it's only the beginning of the season.”