Luis Enrique has hit back at what he believes is unfair negativity surrounding his Paris Saint-Germain side on the eve of their Champions League semifinal against Arsenal.
PSG sealed their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title earlier this month and have transformed themselves into one of Europe’s most dangerous teams this season.
They face the Gunners in Tuesday’s semifinal, first leg at Emirates Stadium aiming to reach their first final of Europe’s premier club competition since 2019-20.
However, Luis Enrique took aim at reporters during Monday’s news conference amid a range of enquiries including a dip in form for midfielder Vitinha, PSG’s vulnerability at set-pieces and a difficult group stage which included a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal back in October.
“No one is talking about the goals or the games we’ve won, let’s talk about our defeats, that’s fine,” Luis Enrique said.
“You can say everything you want, you can send everything my way. Our mindset is wonderful. The most unhappy or sad member of the squad is me so you can just imagine what the others are doing.”
Pushed to elaborate further, Luis Enrique continued: “Let me just specify. Maybe I am getting things wrong but when I’m talking about the negative climate, I’m not talking about the fans or the staff within the club. But yeah, the questions coming from the media and even the questions the journalists ask, I think it is quite negative but maybe that’s just me.”
Arsenal have become a potent force on set-pieces under Mikel Arteta, scoring more Premier League goals than any other side from dead-ball situations since the start of last season.
In Ligue 1, only four teams have conceded more set-piece goals than PSG’s 10 — equating to 32% of their overall goals against, which is the highest proportion in the division.
Asked about Arsenal’s threat, Luis Enrique said: “We are obviously working on all of the aspects of the game, because how do you think I got my licence to be a coach without working on everything?”
