Enrique was tensed watching PSG secure win over Girona

Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique admitted he did not enjoy watching their tense late win over Girona in the Champions League on Wednesday. PSG secured victory after Girona’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes of the match to give the hosts a 1-0 win.
“I think we were superior, but Girona played us in circles and made us dizzy. At halftime, we said that if we didn’t press, we were going to suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult,” Luis Enrique said. “It was very difficult. I told (Girona manager) Michel that this was worse than giving birth, with all due respect.”
Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round. Enrique observed that the format creates uncertainty about the significance of results.
“Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don’t know the dimension of this competition with this format,” he said.
“We are going to have to play matches against teams that have easier schedules than ours. How many points are we going to need? There are many unknowns that need to be cleared up.”
Despite the victory, PSG suffered a setback as striker Marco Asensio limped off just before halftime. Luis Enrique was confident, however, in the strength of his squad. “He felt a twinge. Marco had started the season well. This is professional football, and we have a very good squad.”
Michel proud of Girona’s Champions League debut
Meanwhile, Girona should be proud of their Champions League debut, coach Michel said. Despite the defeat, the Girona manager praised his team’s effort and the performance of his goalkeeper up until the goal.
“Now in the dressing room, people are a little bit down, I told them that we have to be proud of the game we played,” Michel told reporters. “PSG subdued us, Gazzaniga made some good saves. There were two or three that could have been goals. We have to recognise that their victory is deserved but we are proud of the way we work. Let’s see if we get another chance to come to Paris next year.”
The Spaniard admitted his players were nervous in their first taste of Europe’s elite club competition, but he was satisfied with their game as they faced a top-level team. “At the start of the game we were very nervous, you could see that. But as the first half went on, we found personality, commitment, attitude,” he said.
“In the second half, we were tired, PSG pressed us more, we were continually defending a lot. We passed our first experience in the Champions League, we competed against a great team where the pressure can stiffen you and the team gave a good performance.”