After leaving the position of boss of La Roja last December, "Lucho", a 53-year-old technician with a strong character, was back on the market. He will have the difficult task of taking over from Galtier, criticized for the boring game, without desire or creation of his players, despite obtaining an 11th title of champion of France.
With the Spaniard, the Parisian club, owned by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), managed to emerge from a turbulent and very disappointing exercise, finding a big name in international football with a prestigious career. The native of Gijon becomes the 8th coach to sit on the bench of the capital team since its purchase by QSI in 2011.
After exploring several avenues including that of the German Julian Nagelsmann, the Parisian leaders, who keep as objective to brandish the Champions League, see in Luis Enrique the man capable of satisfying their dream after their successive failures. The Spaniard has the recipe since he has already won the "cup with big ears" in 2015 with FC Barcelona MSN era (Messi-Suarez-Neymar).
Paris Saint-Germain football club new coach Luis Enrique (left) and club president Nasser al-Khelaifi at a press conference in Poissy (France) on July 5, 2023. © Geoffroy Van der Hasselt / AFP
With his firm convictions and his high verb, Luis Enrique will have to apply his characteristics in a club known for not being very firm with its stars.
He promised "attacking, offensive football, which is entertaining for supporters and which gives results, above all", he launched during his official presentation.
The Mbappé case
The Spaniard will therefore have to show authority in Paris and try to forget a trying season, punctuated by many crises. The cohabitation with the "football advisor" Luis Campos will be closely monitored, especially on the sensitive subject of recruitment.
Even before his arrival, PSG has completed the signings of defenders Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez, midfielder Manuel Ugarte and striker Marco Asensio, pending their officialization.
The management of the Mbappé case will be his first big project while the unclear future of the Parisian star, eager to leave the club free at the end of his contract in 2024, may be the soap opera of the summer.
If Kylian Mbappe "wants to stay, we have to sign a new contract, we can not let go for free one of the best players in the world," said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
Photo montage from July 5, 2023 showing Paris Saint-Germain football player Kylian Mbappe (left) during the match against Troyes in Troyes (France) on May 7, 2023 and PSG president Nasser Khelaifi during the match between the Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19, 2023. © François NASCIMBENI, FRANCK FIFE / AFP/Archives
No doubt the Spaniard will also want to revive Neymar, his former player at Barça pushed out by Campos and who is wondering about his future after being the target of supporters.
One thing is certain: Luis Enrique is not afraid to go to the clash. If his rather successful passage to Celta Vigo (2013-2014) had favored his appointment at Barcelona, things had been more mixed at AS Roma (2011-2012), where he had dared to dismiss Francesco Totti, the captain and idol of the tifosi.
Similarly, at Barcelona (2014-2017), the Asturian coach had seen his authority waver in January 2015. Messi, left on the bench at the kick-off of a match lost against Real Sociedad (1-0), had been worn pale the next day, an attitude that had put all Barça on alert and triggered a violent internal crisis.
The man of the "remontada"
A figure in Spanish football, Luis Enrique is also known for his ability to instill an offensive philosophy in his formations, with a lot of possession, which has particularly been lacking at PSG in recent seasons. A style that had however shown its limits at the World Cup-2022 with La Roja, out in the 8th final by Morocco (0-0 a.p., 3-0 t.a.b).
The Parisians are in any case not very resentful, the former international midfielder with 62 caps, passed by Real Madrid (1992-196) and Barça (1996-2004), having often made them misery in the past. It was he who was the coach of Barcelona in 2017 during the famous "Remontada" in the 8th final of C1, a real trauma for the club in this competition. He also lifted the Coupe des Coupes in 1997 in the Blaugrana jersey by dominating PSG in the final.
Luis Enrique, on the other hand, was part of the Madrid team eliminated in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup by the Parisians in 1993 on a head, now mythical, Antoine "Casque d'Or" Kombouaré, coach of PSG dismissed at the arrival of the Qataris, during the return match at the Parc des Princes (4-1), one of the most significant moments in the history of PSG.
© 2023 AFP