Liverpool failed to halt Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. Will Luis Enrique break PSG’s curse in the competition?

For years, Paris Saint-Germain believed that imitating Real Madrid’s galácticos ideology would lead to success. But when Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé all left without winning the UEFA Champions League, which had been the club’s passion for more than a decade, another cultural reset occurred.

At the same time, there was clearly a sense that after Mbappé left last summer, many people dismissed the Parisians as a legitimate danger.

Despite defeating Manchester City and Stuttgart in the final two matches, they only advanced to the play-off round in the Champions League’s first league phase.

The team’s 10-0 aggregate victory over Brest was not a significant message, but their elimination of Liverpool in the round of 16 would.

“PSG is the best team we’ve encountered. “They can win the Champions League,” Reds manager Arne Slot stated later.

Sure, it wasn’t like PSG blew Liverpool away. They needed penalties on Tuesday after winning 1-0 in extra time at Anfield, while the Reds won at the Parc des Princes the week before.

But maybe most important was the way in which they progressed, with this youthful team playing bright, exhilarating football against the Premier League’s finest. Their first-leg defeat was shocking on the balance of play, with PSG battering Liverpool for 90 minutes in Paris, and while the second leg was more equal, few would have left Anfield believing the Ligue 1 club were undeserving of their quarter-final position.

This season, PSG has spent €50 million or more on three players, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was already well-known from his time at Napoli.

The performance of PSG players at Anfield on Tuesday marked a significant departure from previous seasons. Whereas it was formerly thought that pure talent would suffice, they now combine that ability with a remarkable work ethic, hunger, and promise.

It just so happens that they have an excellent coach to put it all together.

Again, it’s not like Luis Enrique is an unknown quantity. His managerial career to date has been largely excellent, boasting a track record of making teams play high-quality football, and that’s often led to success. He even moulded one of the greatest club sides in the history of European football, with his Barcelona side of 2014-15 winning the treble.

However, he may not be regarded as highly as other top managers in Europe, such as Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, and Carlo Ancelotti.

It doesn’t take much thought to figure out why that is. For openers, Luis Enrique spent significant time in international football as Spain’s manager before taking a career sabbatical to care for his daughter Xana, who died of bone cancer at the age of nine in August 2019.

Many believe Ligue 1 (and PSG) to be a second-rate league, whether fair or not.

However, PSG’s attitude to the Liverpool game called into question Luis Enrique’s new, purposeful managing style.

“Of course we can do it,” Luis Enrique said of the prospect of turning the tie around after the unfortunate 1-0 first-leg defeat. He then added: “We’re going to do it.”

It was a bold statement considering the opposition, but PSG proved his belief was well founded.

He also insisted beforehand that whichever team progressed would make it to the final, and on the basis of PSG’s performances across the tie, it’s difficult to disagree even if there’s still a way to go.

But Luis Enrique’s own record should provide another degree of optimism.

Given the seismic nature of eliminating a Liverpool side that’s made light work of the Premier League this term, it was understandable that a lot of the post-match focus went straight to Luis Enrique.

As a result, his performance in the tournament received attention, and he gained greater fame that he had previously lacked.

For example, Luis Enrique has won 63.2% of his Champions League games since his debut in the 2014-15 season, trailing only Hansi Flick (85.7%) and Carlo Ancelotti (63.5%).

That is startling enough on its own, and it will likely surprise many people. However, in a broader context, his record is much more amazing.

Luis Enrique’s 63.2% win rate in the Champions League is second among all managers who have presided over at least 30 matches.

Jupp Heynckes (68.1%) is the only manager above him in that regard, with Pep Guardiola (61.9%), Frank Rijkaard (61%) and Louis van Gaal (60%) the few others on 60% or better.

Sure, being in charge of major teams like Barcelona and PSG helps, but you still have to execute the job. While he has yet to bring that elusive UCL crown to Paris, surprisingly getting knocked out at the semi-final stage by Borussia Dortmund last season, there is a growing belief that if anybody can break the curse, it is him.

“We showed that we are a real team,” he stated following the victory at Anfield. “Tonight, with our fans, we played a very good match, and we are proud of this great team.”

“This is just the beginning,” he added, and for the first time, PSG’s claims appear credible.

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