"My goal is to play with 11 strikers", Luis Enrique's response to criticism on PSG

Paris Saint-Germain are facing their worst moment in the 2023/24 season. They have had their worst start in Ligue 1 since the Qatari investors arrived at the club in 2012, with three wins, three draws and one defeat in seven games. One of their worst performances was last week, when they drew 0-0 against Clermont, bottom of the standings. And in the Champions League they debuted with a win against Borussia Dortmund, but then suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Newcastle.

This caused the French media to target mainly two people: Kylian Mbappé and Luis Enrique. The Spanish manager was criticized for the strategy he used in England, deciding to play with 4 forwards and leaving the midfield unprotected.

This Saturday Luis Enrique gave a press conference before the match against Stade Rennais and responded to those criticisms: "As always, I am the first responsible when things don't go well. It's very funny, when we win with four strikers it's the fault of I don't know who. When we lose with four strikers, it's the coach's fault. But not when we win. When we win it's... the air. The air has passed through there... I know that”.

And then he added: "I know it's the rules of the game like that. That's fine, I accept that. But my goal as PSG coach is to turn everything around and play with eleven strikers and defend with eleven defenders. That's my objective. And I'm on the right path”.

They need to win

This Sunday Paris Saint-Germain will face Stade Rennais at Roazhon Park, looking for a win that will allow them to move closer to the top of the Ligue 1 standings. For now they are in fifth place with 12 points, just one more than their next opponents.