Nobody is untouchable anymore
Vitinha. That’s the only name that still gets a pass.
For everyone else at PSG, the season has just taken on a different feel. Luis Enrique has decided there are no guaranteed starters and no mere backups. Only players who earn their minutes, or don’t. L’Equipe says that’s the message he’s pushed into the dressing room this morning.
After two seasons of cleaning up, the Spaniard has spotted his real enemy. Not Marseille, not Europe’s heavy hitters. Complacency.
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Hard line, and a cost that comes with it
Hooked at half-time. Rested without warning. Big names left in the stands for a Champions League game.
The coach isn’t sparing anyone. He’s dragging his stars out of their comfort zone with decisions they won’t enjoy one bit. A useful side effect for him: opponents no longer know which PSG side they’ll be facing from one week to the next.
There’s a downside, and the paper points it out. Push decisive players too hard and you end up burning some of them out, or even annoying your leaders. There have already been grumbles after early substitutions. It’s a fine line.
L’Equipe also notes that Luis Enrique has huge credit in that dressing room. For now, the policy is holding.
A Classique to test it
The timing is no accident. PSG have started the league in patchy fashion. A 2-2 draw with Rennes, a 2-2 draw with Lille, then a home defeat to Monaco (1-2).
The response has come elsewhere. Six goals against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League, then a hard-earned win at Brest (0-1).
On Sunday night, it’s off to the Velodrome. Waiting there is an OM side who have lost four on the spin in all competitions. The sort of night where rotation gets judged by the team sheet before the whistle’s even gone.
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