Luis Enrique calls for persistence after frustrating draw for PSG

Luis Enrique lamented Paris Saint-Germain’s failure to convert their chances in Saturday’s Ligue 1 draw with Nantes, but stressed the need for perseverance.

After a lacklustre Champions League campaign has them in 25th place following a recent narrow loss at Bayern Munich, PSG’s 1-1 home draw against struggling Nantes was another disappointing result for the Ligue 1 leaders.

Luis Enrique’s team dominated possession against Nantes to such an extent that they set a new Ligue 1 record, with 84.1% possession, the highest since Opta began collecting such data in 2006.

PSG turned that possession into 24 shots, with 10 of those on target, and finished with 2.7 expected goals while also creating six big chances (defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score), but could not find a winner after Matthis Abline had cancelled out Achraf Hakimi’s early opener.

“Efficiency is the key to football. It is very difficult to be efficient, to attack an opponent who is very compact in his area,” Luis Enrique said.

“It’s incredibly tough to create as many chances as we did. But it’s clear that if you don’t score, it becomes frustrating and draining.

“In the end, there’s only one way forward: to persist, persist, continue trusting the players and the team, and keep moving forward.”

84 – Paris SG set a new record of possession in a Ligue 1 game since Opta began detailed data collection the competition (2006/07) with 84.1%. Monopolisation. #PSGFCNA pic.twitter.com/xDRvfvxqXi

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 30, 2024

Goncalo Ramos’ return to the squad after he recovered from an ankle injury at least provided a positive for PSG.

“I felt good, I managed to play the whole match without any pain and I think that from now on, we have to raise the level and gain confidence,” the Portuguese striker said.

“We are capable of working hard, with a lot of desire. We tried everything today, which was visible during the match. But now we have to think about the next match and work during the week.”