Luis Enrique warns of historic pressure - Vitinha points to BVB
Since last weekend, the dream of a season without a league defeat has been over – but PSG still has a chance of a historic season. Coach Luis Enrique knows this only too well. Vitinha, for his part, draws positives from defeats against Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.
He wants to reach the top with PSG: Vitinha. IMAGO/Icon Sport
"When I walk through the streets of Paris, people don't talk about the championship, but about the possibility of having a historic season," said Luis Enrique at the press conference before the Champions League semi-final first leg at Arsenal on Tuesday (9 p.m.), knowing full well that the historic zero, i.e. a whole season without defeat in Ligue 1, is over since last weekend and the 1:3 defeat against Nice .
And yet, it could still be a season for the history books. After winning the Super Cup ( 1-0 against Monaco ) and clinching the title early , the French still have a chance of a quadruple trophy. After all, they've already reached the Coupe de France final on May 24 against Stade Reims and are now aiming for the Champions League final.
The Champions League is the title PSG still lacks in their rich trophy cabinet. "We are a team that wants to make history," says Luis Enrique, emphasizing: "To make history, you have to achieve something that no one has done before." The Spaniard also warns that such a situation can be quite stressful and hopes that this "great pressure" won't inhibit his players too much.
Does the pressure become a burden?But other factors could also be detrimental. For example, last year's semifinal exit against Borussia Dortmund (0-1 in both legs) and the defeat to Arsenal in this year's league phase.
However, with reference to the 2-0 defeat in early October, Luis Enrique pointed to the positive development his team has undergone since then, adding that the clash with Arsenal couldn't be compared to the defeat against Borussia Dortmund. "It's difficult to compare semifinals," the Iberian said succinctly, noting that "we're playing our first game away again." But that was about it in terms of parallels.
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"A lot has happened since October," added midfielder Vitinha , adding: "We've evolved. It will be a different game and we'll get a different result. We'll do some things differently, but we won't change our style of play."
Respect for the GunnersIn Paris, respect for Arsenal, against whom they have never beaten in Europe (0-2-3), is high. "Arsenal is one of the best teams in Europe with a coach who has been doing a brilliant job for six years," Luis Enrique praised his compatriot Mikel Arteta, noting that the Gunners "don't depend on a single player." In this respect, the Londoners and the Parisians are "very similar."
The 25-year-old also sees last year's semi-final defeat against BVB as an advantage, because "it serves as experience for us now. There may be situations in the game that we will handle differently because of it. Even though we are a very young team, we have a lot of experience and have already played many difficult games."
For the 54-year-old, however, it's also clear that "it will be difficult against a team with such physical strength" as Arsenal. Vitinha, on the other hand, sees no problem in this, citing, among other things, the victories against Liverpool in the round of 16 (0-1 and 4-1 on penalties) and Aston Villa in the quarterfinals (3-1, 2-3) – also English teams with enormous physical strength. The Portuguese doesn't see a clear favorite this time either, but rather expects an open duel and knows: "Every player loves playing games like this. We'll be ready."
