If the Spanish manager defeats the Magpies at Parc des Princes, he will be able to boast of his first memorable victory as manager.
Luis Enrique maintained that he performed flawlessly. He led his team to St. James Park on October 4 and, in front of 50,000 agitated Geordies and a team playing its first home Champions League match since 2003, unveiled a daring 4-2-4 formation. It was easy to predict the outcome. Newcastle dominated PSG from the outset, winning 4-1 thanks to a raiding goal from center back Fabian Schar in the 91st minute.
Following the match, Luis Enrique hinted at some advantages—which, to be honest, not many astute observers would have noticed—saying, “The outcome is so significant for them.” But I believe that outcome wasn’t fair to us.”
Whether rightfully or not, his team was soundly defeated on Tyneside, and now that they have lost to AC Milan in their most recent Champions League match, they are in dire need of a victory over the Magpies, this time at home.
In recent years, European teams have found Parc des Princes to be an intimidating venue; since 2020, the Parisians have not dropped a group match there. Add in fan-filled games that aren’t marred by the COVID-19 pandemic’s relative silence, and PSG’s last home loss before knockout football begins would have to be from 2004.
So, everything is set up for retaliation. Additionally, this is a crucial one. There are only two points separating the two teams in their Champions League group—the Parisians are in second place and the Magpies are at the bottom. PSG’s victory and qualification ought to be assured. With one game remaining, a loss would put the French champions in fourth place at the end of the matchday.
Luis Enrique has already managed a few major Parisian games. However, this will be the biggest elimination in a competition that he acknowledged the club is “obsessed” with. He needs to get it right this time.
Where St. James’ Park went wrong
From the very first minute, it was clear that things were not going well for PSG in the northeast of England. It’s difficult to play against Newcastle’s chunky and awkward midfield, and Eddie Howe made sure it was beefier than usual. He used Sean Longstaff, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes as a trio, combining physicality and flair in a combative manner. In contrast, Luis Enrique started just two midfield players: the physically strong Manuel Ugarte and the overly technical Warren Zaire-Emery. It came as no surprise that by halftime, the two were completely worn out.
Luis Enrique had an opportunity to turn the tide at the half, but the Parisians were fortunate to only be behind 2-0. He could have changed his strategy or added another midfield player. He would have observed how the game was progressing—his team had only attempted one shot on goal. At minimum, he could have equaled Newcastle in midfield with Vitinha, Danilo Pereira, and Fabian Ruiz waiting on the bench.
Rather, the former Barcelona manager adhered to his methodology. And the situation worsened even further. Once again, PSG were outclassed, and Howe made sure Kylian Mbappe had no space to breathe. The only real opportunities for PSG came from a wasteful Ousmane Dembele, who missed the post with one volley.
Lucas Hernandez’s header was merely a consolation goal as Newcastle added two more goals. The way it happened—a midfielder dinking the ball onto a left-back’s forehead—had little to do with how good Luis Enrique’s set-up was overall.
“I anticipate that level of intensity.”
Thus, the first step towards exacting revenge is to reevaluate the existing system. Although Luis Enrique is a manager who firmly believes in his values, he has acknowledged that he is willing to modify how they are implemented.
He is still adamant about a few things. Gianluigi Donnarumma needs to play out of the back; Mbappe needs to tuck in and receive the ball while on the run; his midfielders need to carry the ball forward. The specifics of how this is used can change. PSG has changed up their strategy after losing to Newcastle. They have occasionally used a 4-3-3. In other cases, the manager has organized something that resembles a more conventional 4-4-2. Nor has the dreaded 4-2-4 been completely eliminated from the playsheet.
So, instead of completely altering his team’s strategy, Luis Enrique might try giving them more physicality. During a Monday press conference, he hinted at the possibility, saying, “If you watch Newcastle’s game against Chelsea, their physicality is important.” They went into press mode with as many as six players, and they can move at a very fast speed. I anticipate the same ferocity being directed at us.”
Furthermore, he might not have an option. The mainstay of the midfield, Zaire-Emery, will be sidelined for the remainder of the year due to an ankle injury. This can entail starting Danilo or another player with a stronger defensive mindset in a three-man midfield.
That’s a personnel adjustment that can be made without compromising Luis Enrique’s values.
Dembele the catalyst for change?
Fortunately, Luis Enrique maintains that he possesses a covert weapon. This isn’t Mbappe, a well-known player that the manager hasn’t hesitated to criticize in recent weeks. Nor is it Randal Kolo Muani, who has made brief impressions but has struggled to establish a scoring pattern in Paris.
Rather, Luis Enrique asserts that Dembele will have an impact. To emphasize, this player is perplexing. Dembele has caused controversy in the French capital because he appears to be doing everything perfectly in the last third of the game—right up until the crucial moment. He’ll dart down the wing, taking multiple defenders by surprise, and skew a shot. He’ll make a quick turn to the left, a stepover to the right, and find.
Despite taking 34 shots, less than half of which have been on target, Dembele has only managed one goal for the Parisians. Luis Enrique, though, showered the Parisian with praise.
“I’ve known him for many years and, in my opinion, he’s a different type of player to anyone else,” he stated. “I now have firsthand knowledge of him. He doesn’t care to be corrected or receive criticism if he makes a mistake. He is without a doubt the biggest football game-changer in history.
There’s evidence to support the manager’s grandiose assertion. Against Monaco on Friday, Dembele scored his first goal for PSG, and it was a spectacular one as the winger flicked a lofted pass with his.
Not only was this not a typical goal, but Dembele is also not a typical player, if his manager is to be believed. Maybe he just needed to enter one to get his life back on track in his native country.
Newcastle is in a desperate situation.
Newcastle, on the other hand, arrives in a vulnerable position at Parc des Prince. From the team that humiliated the Parisians almost two months ago, the Magpies have undergone significant transformation. Tonali has been banned from the team for a year after he acknowledged to breaking the betting rules. Due to injuries, Dan Burn, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Joe Willock, and Callum Wilson will also miss the match.
After taking a knock, Alexander Isak, who was the star of the rematch, has just recently recovered. Although they defeated Chelsea on Saturday, Newcastle has lost points to Bournemouth, Wolves, and West Ham in the Premier League since October 4. More importantly, they lost to Borussia Dortmund both home and away in Europe and were unable to score in either game.
Although Howe’s team is formidable on the road, their 2023–24 record of two wins, three draws, and four losses doesn’t exactly bode well for them. The manager could hardly have chosen a worse scenario for his team’s must-win European match. His team will be eliminated from the competition with a loss, and a point could.
They have not benefited much from other outcomes. Due to the losses to Dortmund, even if they are tied on points after a tiebreaker, they will trail the German team in the group. Milan’s recent success, which included a victory over PSG, raises the possibility that they can defeat Dortmund at San Siro, eliminating Howe’s team in the process. The Magpies are now forced to win.
Howe acknowledged this at his pre-game press conference, saying, “I don’t think we could have more motivation than this.” We want to play in the Champions League for as long as possible, so tomorrow is a critical day for our team. Our strategy calls for us to attempt to
The Parc des Princes element
Luis Enrique is hoping that the location of Tuesday’s match will have an impact, despite PSG’s patchy history with their home stadium over the previous 11 months. During the final three months of the 2022–23 season, the Parisians lost five games at Parc des Princes in an attempt to surrender a league lead that they had previously held by 12 points.
The only true setback so far this season has been a loss to Nice, who were unexpected early contenders. PSG has outscored opponents 20-2 in their past six home games, winning all of them. In the words of Luis Enrique, “The Parc des Princes is a cauldron which.
They will also require it. Newcastle defeated PSG easily the last time the two teams faced off, in spite of all of their road woes, injuries, and the constant pressure of blowing a first-round Champions League campaign.
The Parisians have not had a good time in this competition over the years, with their obsession with European success creating a counter-intuitive culture of failure as different clubs have found more exciting ways to finish outside the winner’s circle each season. Therefore, the manager who made such a huge mistake when these clubs first met is under pressure.
There isn’t just one “biggest game of the season” for this PSG squad. However, the final game of the season, that disastrous 4-1 loss on Tyneside, raised questions about Luis Enrique’s suitability to manage this endeavor.
He continues to maintain that the game’s scoreline was unfair. Additionally, he has acknowledged that his team is “far” from living up to his standards and that they will need to get better as the season progresses. He did, however, also highlight one key distinction on his side this time around: “We will be prepared.”
- And that could be sufficient to finish the task.
