The latest post-match comments on the part of Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique have turned heads across the continent.
As much comes amid the widespread consensus that the Spanish tactician made use of the opportunity to fire a fresh jibe at Barcelona counterpart Xavi.
Enrique and Xavi are of course fresh off locking horns on the touchline on Wednesday night.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final clash between their respective sides, PSG welcomed Barcelona to the Parc des Princes, for a highly-anticipated meeting.
And, when all was said and done, it was Xavi who emerged triumphant.
En route to an eventual 3-2 victory for Barcelona, the club’s headmaster was widely hailed for his endeavours.
This came as Xavi, to his credit, edged the tactical battle, with his 2nd-half substitutions having also proven decisive in overturning the Blaugrana’s deficit.
Speaking to the media post-match, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of the performance put forth by his managerial counterpart was put to the aforementioned Luis Enrique.
Specifically, PSG’s headmaster was asked if he was ‘surprised’ by the way in which his former club played.
And his response proved an altogether interesting one…
Just days on from grabbing the headlines by suggesting that he is ‘without a doubt’ a superior representative of Barcelona’s famed style of play than Xavi, Enrique appeared to aim a fresh dig at his compatriot, in explaining:
“I wasn’t surprised at all by Xavi’s plan, clearly. Long balls to counter our press, especially when your goalkeeper is Ter Stegen and your striker is Lewandowski…”
Conor Laird | GSFN
