From our special envoy to Montjuic,
All in all, a useful clarification to start with: having crossed the Pyrenees for this crazy quarter-final return made us lose the last little bit of reason we had left. So, like our Spanish colleagues who never hesitate to become more supporters than journalists when the little music of the Champions League sounds, we too will (exceptionally) put our rigor aside. And damn, it’s not every day that a French club is in the C1 semi-final!
Opposed in two weeks to what many described as little Dortmund when the draw for the group stages put the German club on the road to PSG in the so-called “death that kills the muerte” group, last September, the Rouge et Bleus now have Boulevard Haussmann ahead of them to reach the final of the most prestigious competition, at the end of May, at Wembley, the cradle of football and emotions.
The Borussen may well have brought out a very sexy Atlético team in the competition (remember their crazy round of 16 second leg against Inter), they can do nothing against Don Luis Enrique’s PSG, “the best world coach” according to the very measured (NO) Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
The group is one, the group lives well
The great history of football has always been punctuated by founding successes which mark the birth of a team and forge its reputation. We instinctively think of the Blues of 2018 against Argentina, in the Kazan bombonera. Therefore, how else can we see this incredible match between the Parisians on Tuesday at Montjuic, even though it took a helping hand from destiny named Araujo to achieve it? We know this club well enough to know that in other times, the Parisians would have found a way to ruin the job. But not Tuesday. Not this season.
“I saw something that I haven’t seen for thirteen years,” NAK even told Canal after the match. Everyone was together, everyone fought for each other. Everyone wanted to win and qualify for the semi-final. » This is also the feeling that this team gave us, whose spirit and high standards in their work Luis Enrique never ceases to praise. “I don’t have eleven players but twenty-two or twenty-three,” he repeats regularly when asked about his excessive taste for turnover.
But seeing the reaction of the Parisian substitutes, Kolo Muani in the lead, when the referee awarded the 3-1 penalty to the Parisians in the second half, there is indeed a solidarity and a collective strength that transcends egos and petty moods. personal of each other. However, to go far in an adventure like the Champions League, that’s what a team needs to be able to go to the end. It’s the famous “group life” dear to Didier Deschamps, which hits his mark a little when it comes to results.
Luis Enrique managed to instill calm and confidence
But what above all suggests that this PSG can dream big of a final at Wembley at the end of the season is the way in which Luis Enrique approaches the major events of his team so far. With no misplaced triumphalism but without playing the outsider. Throughout the week, he managed to persuade his players that the feat against Barça was possible after the inaugural defeat at the Parc des Princes.
And on Tuesday, he laid the stones of his communication until the semi-final, reviving the memory of the past. “The first comeback was of no use since we were eliminated in the next round. I hope this will help win something for the club. I hope to make it to the final this time,” he explained.
On the club side either, it was not time for flaming. Al-Khelaïfi, in the mixed zone: “It’s one of the best moments since I arrived. We want to celebrate tonight, but it’s not over. We also want to calm things down, think about what we did well and what we didn’t do well and not say too many things. We are building a team, we go game by game, step by step. We are still far from it. » Except for Kylian Mbappé, determined to finish the job as he did in Catalonia. “I dream of winning the Champions League with Paris, it’s one more step taken against a great team, good luck to them,” said the author of a double on Tuesday evening. But now it’s for us and we’re going to try to go to Wembley. » Personally, we have already booked a wedding suite in London. We promise, we’ll make room for you.