´Impossible to be happy´ – Luis Enrique laments defensive lapses against Strasbourg

Luis Enrique says it is “impossible to be happy” after Paris Saint-Germain conceded three goals, but hailed Strasbourg as “one of the best teams” in Ligue 1.

Bradley Barcola had given PSG an early lead, but Joaquin Panichelli’s brace and Diego Moreira’s well-taken strike put Strasbourg in a commanding position in the second half.

However, a Goncalo Ramos penalty and Senny Mayulu equaliser meant PSG salvaged a 3-3 draw, ensuring they would stay top of Ligue 1.

PSG have won only one of their last four Ligue 1 matches (D2 L1), as many winless games as in their previous 19 top-flight games (D1 L2).

Strasbourg’s goals came in a 23-minute window (between the 26th and 49th minutes) – PSG had not conceded as many in such a short period in the league since a 1-5 defeat to Lille in April 2019 (19 minutes).

And though Luis Enrique was frustrated by how his side conceded, he gave credit to Strasbourg, who have made a strong start to 2025-26.

“No coach takes pleasure when he concedes three goals. It’s impossible to be happy,” he said.

“But I’m always looking to improve my work. I am lucky to have a lot of information to analyse, and we will rely on it to progress.

“My first impression is that Strasbourg are one of the best teams in Ligue 1, based on the way they play.

“I think we started the match well, we controlled it, we were able to make progress and score a goal. After that, we lacked a little bit of rhythm and intensity.

“But in the second half, it was different. We managed to come back from two goals down thanks to our supporters, who were behind us as usual. It was a tough match, and in the end, I think the team played well.”

The teams were evenly matched at the Parc des Princes on Friday, as PSG finished the game with 2.7 expected goals to Strasbourg’s 2.2.

PSG were without Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele through injury, though Luis Enrique was boosted by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s appearance off the bench.

And the Spaniard noted how important it is to manage his side’s minutes with another busy period coming up.

“I’m trying to manage it in the best way possible for the team, and I think that right now we need to manage not only the period before the international break, but also the period after the break,” he added.

“We have to manage the players’ minutes, and it’s difficult when you have to think about a lot of things, when I should only be thinking about the match against Strasbourg, but the schedule means we have to manage it, and we’ll see in the future if it works.”