The Parisians would be staring a shocking league-phase elimination in the face if they lose at home to Pep Guardiola's side on Wednesday
Luis Enrique knew what he was getting into the moment he agreed to become Paris Saint-Germain's new coach in 2023. Success at Parc des Princes isn't judged by domestic titles; it's all about leading the club to that first Champions League win.
"I love this pressure and this mission," the Spaniard insisted at his very first press conference. "There are plenty of teams that have the same dream, sometimes with more experience, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reach this level.
"It's a challenge, though, it's substantial. And the Champions League is almost unfair: one bad game and you're out."
However, while that may well be true of the tournament's knockout stage, the new, disimproved league phase isn't like that at all. It's now more difficult than ever before for the top teams to fall at the first hurdle – which is why PSG's predicament going into Wednesday's meeting with Manchester City is so remarkable.
Even though the amount of games in the first round proper has increased from six to eight, and 10 points is now almost certain to be enough to progress, the Parisians are in very real danger of suffering their earliest – and most embarrassing – elimination since Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) took control of the club more than a decade ago…
AFPThe prediction
It was clear from the moment that QSI acquired a majority stake in PSG in 2011 that the new owners meant business. The goal was very obviously to become the dominant force in European football. In an interview with in 2014, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi even went so far as to predict a Champions League triumph within four years.
It was a serious statement of intent – but proved a serious error of judgement. As former captain Thiago Silva subsequently admitted, Al-Khelaifi's vow placed an incredible amount of pressure on the players – and they buckled under it. Repeatedly.
AdvertisementAFP'Pressure to win was too heavy'
There was '' against Barcelona in 2017, when PSG capitulated at Camp Nou, the unforgivable collapse at home to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United two years later that turned a disbelieving Neymar into a meme, and the devastating 1-0 defeat in their one and only final, against Bayern Munich, in 2020.
"The pressure to win the Champions League was too heavy," Thiago Silva told in September 2023. "It was something that hurt me because I saw the situation change, and the pressure increased to win. But that's not how you win. It's a question of consistency year after year."
Thiago Silva's compatriot and successor as PSG captain, Marquinhos, has repeatedly insisted that the squad no longer carries the same burden, but their Champions League results would suggest otherwise.
Getty Images Sport'Obsession doesn't work'
Since making the final five years ago, PSG have endured another shocking last-16 surrender (away to Real Madrid, in 2021-22), been beaten with worrying ease by both Manchester City (2020-21) and Bayern Munich (2022-23), and, perhaps most disappointingly of all, allowed Borussia Dortmund to get the better of them in last season's semi-finals.
For all of the money QSI has invested in the boosting the brand, the public perception of PSG remains the same: perennial champions of France but the Champions League's biggest bottlers, doomed to disappoint in Europe, always certain to find one way or another to throw away ties that they should win.
And why? Because the feeling is that PSG's desperate pursuit of the ultimate glory in the club game has clouded their judgement; that they've got their priorities all wrong.
It's certainly rather telling that Luis Enrique said shortly after his unveiling, "When a club is obsessed with something, it is never a good sign. You have to have ambition, but obsession doesn't work."
Stockpiling superstars didn't work for PSG either, which is why they have recently decided to move away from what Al-Khelaifi called the "flashy, bling-bling" signings for which the club had become famous.
GETTY'Full confidence'
Obviously, every attempt was made to keep Kylian Mbappe, but it was noticeable even before the forward's inevitable move to Real Madrid last summer that PSG were trying something different under sporting director Luis Campos.
That's not to say that they haven't continued to spend significant sums of money in the market, but we've seen a noticeable shift in policy in the last few transfer windows, with the club signing fewer proven talents and bringing in more players of real potential aged 23 or under, such as Bradley Barcola, Goncalo Ramos, Lucas Beraldo, Willian Pacho, Joao Neves and Desire Doue.
There was always an acceptance that it would take some time for all of these younger players to gel (at least in continental competition). However, Champions League elimination would undoubtedly affect the fans' faith in the new project and result in Luis Enrique's position being called into question again, with a clearly irritated Al-Khelaifi having to issue a vote of confidence in the coach just last month.
"I can’t believe what is being written [about Luis Enrique] and I even find it ridiculous," the Qatari told . "But we won’t let it affect our football at all. We have a short-, medium- and long-term strategy and I have full confidence in the manager, in the players, and all of our team."
However, being dumped out of Europe by the end of January would be difficult for Al-Khelaifi & Co to defend.
