Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique warns of unknowns in Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said the “unknowns” in the new Champions League format make it difficult to judge his team’s opening win over Girona on Wednesday.

Paris Saint-Germain secured the win after Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted several attempts from the French champions, made a huge mistake in the closing stages of the match to hand the home side a 1-0 win.

But with seven games remaining in what is now called the league stage of the competition, the PSG coach said it might take some time to see the significance of his team’s win.

“Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don’t know how big this competition is,” Luis Enrique said. “We will have to play matches against teams that have an easier schedule than ours. How many points will we need?

“There are a lot of unknowns that need to be clarified.”

Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight teams in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the round of 16, while the next 16 teams play a knockout round.

PSG dominated the game for long periods, but last year’s surprise package held on until the final minutes, when Nuno Mendes’ shot went through Gazzaniga’s legs.

“I think we were superior, but Girona played in circles and made us dizzy,” Luis Enrique said after the match. “In the first half, we said that if we didn’t press, we would suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult.”

“It was very difficult. I told (Girona coach) Michel that it was worse than giving birth, with all due respect.”

Despite the win, PSG suffered a setback after striker Marco Asensio went off injured shortly before half-time, but Luis Enrique was confident of his team’s strength.

“He felt some pain. Marco started the season well. This is professional football and we have a very good team,” said the former Barcelona coach.

Despite the defeat, Girona coach Michel praised his team’s efforts and the performance of his goalkeeper until the goal.

“Now in the dressing room, people are a bit disappointed, I told them we have to be proud of the game we played. PSG outplayed us, Gazzaniga made some great saves. There were two or three chances that could have been goals. We have to realise they deserved the win, but we are proud of the way we are working,” Michel told reporters.

“Let’s see if we have another chance to come to Paris next year.”

Paris Saint-Germain play their next match away to Reims in Ligue 1 on Saturday, while Girona travel to play a La Liga match against Valencia.

This story was informed by Reuters.