Luis Enrique surrenders to Guardiola: “He took the Barcelona model to perfection”
PSG host Manchester City on Wednesday in the seventh round of the UEFA Champions League league stage.
PSG are under pressure in the UEFA Champions League , not even in the play-off places . The Parisian team, which has Portuguese players Nuno Mendes , Vitinha , João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos , has seven points from six rounds and faces Manchester City on Wednesday , who are also under pressure.
“It will be a special game. Not only because of the importance of the game, but also because I will see a friend. It is a joy to see him again. We have a similar idea of what football is. No one will doubt our idea and put pressure on the opponent, attack, want the ball with nuances, because each team develops their own model depending on the club or the players, but it is a very similar idea. I believe it will be a great game”, he began by saying, in a press conference.
“It is clear that this is a game in which we have to be prepared. Manchester City do a lot of things tactically, but we also do things differently. It is a game that comes at a difficult time. We will try to impose ourselves with our best weapons,” he added.
After the comparison with Xavi, Luis Enrique was asked who best represents Barcelona ‘s values : himself or Guardiola.
“For me, Barcelona ’s 4-3-3 , it was Guardiola who took the Barcelona model to perfection. He is a number one, a reference, with a unique model. He is someone who has opened new paths in the world of football. I am lucky to be his friend. He opened a completely different way of playing in England. That opened doors for many coaches. The model, without a doubt the values. It is something that the Spanish understand perfectly,” he said.
“Pressure? We all want to play in these types of matches, it’s a unique environment. PSG are a team that never give up. Of course we could be more effective, but like everyone else,” he said, commenting on the signing of Kvaratskhelia .
“Everyone knows him, he demonstrated his level at Napoli and with the Georgia national team. He plays inside, outside, as a nine. He adapts to our game plan,” he added.
