Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has on Monday moved to clarify the nature of his relationship with Barcelona counterpart Xavi.
The subject of relations between Enrique and Xavi, of course, has positioned itself front and centre in the media headlines over the course of the last couple of weeks.
This comes in the midst of the showdown between the compatriots, on the continent.
Barcelona and PSG locked horns in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie last Wednesday, with the former having ultimately emerged on the right side of the result.
As much saw it widely agreed that Xavi had gotten the better of Enrique, a manager who previously oversaw his endeavours on the pitch during a shared stint at the Camp Nou.
Post-match, however, PSG’s boss appeared to aim something of a dig at Xavi:
“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…”
This came just days on from Enrique also catching the headlines, after providing the following response to questions surrounding whether he or Barcelona’s current boss better represents the Blaugrana’s famed style of play:
“Me. Without doubt. It’s not an opinion. Look at the stats. Look at possession, chances created, pressing high. Look at trophies. Without doubt, it’s me. Obviously some people will disagree. But without doubt, me.”
The common takeaway from as much, understandably, was that the relationship between Enrique and Xavi had become a fractured one, with tension building amid their locking of horns in Europe.
As alluded to above, however, on Monday, the former moved to clarify the situation.
Drawn on claims of he and his fellow countryman no longer seeing eye-to-eye, Luis Enrique was firm in his denial, explaining:
“My words about Xavi? The press took it out of context to make it seem like there’s a conflict between us. Xavi is a great manager and the results are showing it.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
