"I lied to you" - Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique gives honest admission on high-flying Liverpool ahead of crunch UEFA Champions League clash
Paris Saint Germain boss Luis Enrique recently rowed back on his previous comments that he is not worried about the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie with Liverpool on Tuesday, March 11. The Spanish manager admitted that he 'lied' and added that he had been thinking about the games against the Merseyside club.
PSG cruised to a 4-1 win against Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Ahead of the match, Enrique said his side's sole focus is on domestic matches and not the second leg of their UCL clash with Arne Slot's side, despite making eight changes to his starting XI.
After the match ended, the PSG boss backtracked on his claim, insisting that he thinks about Liverpool like every other team. He said (via Mirror):
“I lied to you. Of course, I think about Liverpool, like everyone else. I’ve been thinking about the games against Liverpool for a while, since the draw already.
“But I also think that I have to highlight my team, my players, the mentality of all the players in the team, all of them. Those who play, those who play less, those who don’t participate. I think that to be able to compete, to fight for all the titles and to represent a club like ours, they have the right mentality. And it’s a pleasure for me to coach them.”
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of PSG’s 1-0 defeat in the first leg last week, Enrique expressed confidence over defeating Slot’s side at Anfield and progressing to the quarterfinals.
''Away matches are always more difficult'' – Luis Enrique reveals how his PSG side intends to beat Liverpool tomorrow
PSG were the better team on paper when they squared off with the Reds in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie. Despite dominating the game, they still ended up losing as Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory.
Speaking ahead of the second leg scheduled to take place at Anfield, Enrique said his PSG side will aim to have the ball more to increase the chances of winning.
Enrique said (via the club’s website):
"Our goal is clear: to try to be better than our opponents. Away matches are always more difficult, but we have confidence in what we do well. We also know what we have to improve. We want to have the ball more than our opponents, and from there, we'll see what possibilities come about."
Should PSG get past Slot's side, they will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarterfinals.
