BUDAPEST, Hungary — Luis Enrique has joined the discussion regarding the contrasting styles of play between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, stating that he and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta have “taken different routes to the same destination.”
Enrique, the coach of PSG, aims to lead the Ligue 1 champions to consecutive Champions League titles and secure his third overall victory as a coach. The pivotal match against newly-crowned Premier League champions Arsenal is set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.
This matchup is anticipated to showcase a stark contrast in styles, with PSG’s flair contrasting with Arteta’s physical, direct, and set-piece-oriented approach.
While Arsenal leads all major European teams in set-piece goals this season, Enrique does not even utilize a set-piece coach at PSG.
Despite these differing tactics, Enrique acknowledges that Arsenal possesses the potential to seriously challenge PSG’s ambitions of retaining their title.
“We are both very attacking teams that score a lot of goals,” Enrique remarked when addressing the clash of styles. “We are striving for the same goal, albeit through different paths.”
“We are quite familiar with them. We played against them last year and previously — there are always adjustments we can make, defensively and offensively.”
“Over the last three seasons, we’ve proven to be a team that enjoys playing, and we want to maintain that consistency.”
“Arteta has been at Arsenal for about six-and-a-half years, so he knows the team inside and out.”
“Arsenal absolutely deserve their Premier League title. They were the best team, consistently strong, even with Manchester City trailing them.”
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While Arsenal has benefited from a relatively easier path to the final, facing Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP, and Atlético Madrid, PSG has had to defeat Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages, in addition to a playoff-round matchup against French rivals Monaco.
Enrique mentioned that his team had to “suffer” to reach this final, but he believes it has ultimately strengthened them.
“I enjoyed all the games we played to reach the final,” he noted. “Those seven or eight matches demonstrated who we truly are.”
“We endured challenges, and that suffering was necessary to showcase the kind of team we are. We have already solidified our place in history as one of the best teams in the world, but we’re aiming to win again.”
Heading into Saturday’s final, PSG stands as the favorite to prevent Arsenal from claiming their first Champions League title.
However, Enrique cautioned that Arsenal will provide a significant challenge for his squad. “It’s a final, and there are no favorites in a final,” he asserted. “Finals are always tough matches. Last year was exceptional, and we dominated against Inter, but I don’t think there are favorites this time.”
“I expect a tightly contested match, but we must enjoy the 90 minutes as there’s usually a lot of tension involved.”
“There’s no greater motivation than winning the Champions League. We’ll see tomorrow who emerges victorious.”