It was a nightmare scenario as Paris Saint-Germain fell 4-1 to Newcastle United on Wednesday at St. James’ Park. The capital club provided the Magpies with their first goal off an error by Marquinhos, and it was downhill from there.
Newcastle would eventually make it 3-0, with PSG avoiding the clean sheet to make it 3-1. The Premier League club added one more for the three-goal victory over the Ligue 1 giants.
Plenty of blame led to this result; one of them could be the tactical system Luis Enrique employed to get all four attacking players out on the pitch at once. The Spanish tactician faced questions regarding trying his new plan, which was not ideal now that hindsight is 20/20.
“Why this system? I am the coach; I decide,” Enrique told RMC Sport. “It’s a very favorable result for them. We do not deserve this result. (..) Our goal is to go to the knockouts. It’s a difficult group, we know it, we are still [second in Group F]. It will be fun the last matches.”
Luis Enrique to @RMCsport: “Why this system? I am the coach, I decide. It’s a very favorable result for them. We do not deserve this result. (..) Our goal is to go to the knockouts. Its a difficult group, we know it, we are still 2nd. It will be fun the last matches.” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/sDxR2npbyO
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) October 4, 2023
Warren Zaire-Emery Isn’t Hitting Panic Button
Meanwhile, one of the bright spots on the team was Warren Zaire-Emery. The teenager assisted on the lone goal for PSG, scored by Lucas Hernandez. The midfielder shared his thoughts on the loss, which appear to be positive.
“We made a lot of mistakes; we will look at our mistakes we made to improve and become the strongest team possible,” Zaire-Emery told Canal Plus. “Worried about the rest of the competition? No not at all, it’s only the 2nd game match. It’s up to us to do things well to finish first in this group.”
Warren Zaire-Emery: “We made a lot of mistakes, we will look at our mistakes we made to improve and become the strongest team possible. Worried about the rest of the competition? No not at all, it’s only the 2nd game match. It’s up to us to do things well to finish first in this… pic.twitter.com/bKmbplJyxt
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) October 4, 2023
The Ligue 1 side will have to prepare for back-to-back matches against AC Milan. As a result, these two games could be the turning point to see who advances to the knockout stages.
