Do Paris Saint-Germain have a problem countering low blocks? No, says Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique has rejected suggestions that opposing teams have found ways to deal with the threat posed by his all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain side.

PSG completed an unprecedented treble last season, crushing Internazionale in Munich to add the Champions League to their Ligue 1 and Coupe de France triumphs. 

Enrique’s men have found the going tougher this term, however, with Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Sporting the latest setback in a campaign in which they have fallen behind Lens at the top of Ligue 1 and suffered a shock Coupe de France exit to Paris FC.

Part of the problem is that, with a collective total of 27 goals across all competitions, the vaunted attacking quartet of Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola are struggling to replicate the success of last season, when they scored 80 times between them.

Injuries have also played a part – Dembélé and Doué have been in and out of the team with hamstring and calf problems – but a tendency for opponents to sit deep and absorb pressure has proved especially problematic.

‘Parking the bus, waiting – that’s the lot of PSG’s opponents’

“Parking the bus, waiting, counter-attacking: that’s the lot of all PSG’s opponents,” former PSG midfielder Édouard Cissé told L’Equipe. “Last year, Paris managed to address this issue by developing an attractive style of play, moving out of position, and attacking down the wings. They’ll have to find other solutions.”

If PSG’s difficulties in that respect call to mind some of the challenges Liverpool have faced this season, so too did the French champions’ reliance on a stoppage-time goal to avert defeat to Marseille in the Trophée des Champions earlier this month. While PSG went on to retain the trophy on penalties, Tuesday’s Champions League loss, which saw Sporting’s Luis Suárez strike at the death to leave the defending champions sweating on automatic qualification for the last 16, was a reminder that late goals cut both ways – a lesson Liverpool have likewise learned to their cost this season.

Enrique has nonetheless sought to accentuate the positives, insisting that recent setbacks – not to mention the form of Lens, who lead the title race by a point – are a valuable reminder nothing can be taken for granted.

Luis Enrique: ‘We’re not where we want to be in the league’

“We’re not yet where we want to be in the league,” said Enrique, looking ahead to Friday evening’s league visit to relegation strugglers Auxerre. “ We want to become leaders, but Lens are in great form, with 10 consecutive wins.”

The Spaniard, who said PSG have scored four more goals than at the same stage last season – “That’s a source of satisfaction, and it makes me think we’re on the right track” – is also adamant his team are accustomed to countering defensively dogged opponents.

‘PSG are used to low blocks,’ says Enrique

“We need to keep working hard and trying to win. We’re used to deep defensive blocks; that’s often how our opponents play against us.

“Without a doubt, Auxerre will be capable of causing us problems. They caused problems for Marseille, Lille, Lens and Strasbourg. They are struggling in the table, but they will do everything they can to beat us. We have also seen that we are not invincible, so we have to be careful and work hard to win every match we play.

“These are always difficult matches, because they are a team that needs points. They are likely to play with a deep defensive block, which we are used to, but we have to play seriously and be very focused. We will have to be precise, because we know we will have very little space.”

The margins are undeniably tight. Victory over Auxerre would establish a two-point lead at the top of the table, at least until Lens travel to third-placed Marseille on Saturday night.

There is everything to play for – and precious little room for error.