Paris Saint-Germain’s coach Luis Enrique took a significant gamble by excluding Ousmane Dembele from his squad for their crucial UEFA Champions League match against Arsenal on Tuesday. The decision to leave out the in-form forward backfired spectacularly as PSG suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Dembele, who had already netted four goals and provided three assists in Ligue 1 this season, was left out due to a perceived lack of commitment. “If someone does not comply with the requirements from the team, it means that they are not ready,” Enrique stated prior to the match.
To fill the void left by Dembele, Enrique fielded Desire Doue and Lee Kang-in alongside Bradley Barcola in the attacking line. However, facing a robust Arsenal defense, PSG’s offense struggled to make an impact. The Gunners dominated the first half, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka each finding the back of the net.
Enrique was slow to adjust his tactics, only introducing substitutes Randal Kolo Muani and Fabian Ruiz in the 64th minute. Although PSG showed some improvement thereafter, it was insufficient to overturn the deficit.
“It’s easy to say after the match that one player has to play, and that another should have not,” Enrique reflected post-match. He accepted responsibility for the defeat, adding, “I’m responsible for the loss. Their defenders always anticipated what our forwards were doing, and our forwards never managed to anticipate their defenders.”
The victory marked Arsenal’s first win in this season’s Champions League, following a draw against Atalanta in their opening match. For PSG, who had commenced their European campaign with a win over Girona and remained unbeaten in all competitions until this fixture, the loss was a sobering setback.
With one of their key players absent, PSG’s performance highlighted the challenges of competing at the highest level without their full complement of talent. As the competition progresses, Enrique will need to reassess his strategies to ensure his team remains competitive on the European stage.
Reference(s):
Enrique's gamble to leave out Dembele backfires badly against Arsenal
cgtn.com
