Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said he will not allow any player to be bigger than the club ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League knockout phase playoff first leg against AS Monaco.
The Spaniard was responding to comments made by Ousmane Dembélé in the wake of Friday’s surprise 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat to Rennes, which saw the champions lose top spot in the table to Lens.
Dembélé appeared to accuse his teammates of being too individualistic and the team of having lost some of what helped turn them into European champions last season, saying: “If we play as individuals, it won’t work.”
However, his manager hit back at the suggestions and said: “The players’ statements after the match are worthless. Absolutely worthless.
“[So] are the coaches’ statements, but the players’ statements are worthless. I’m not going to answer any question from a player, any response from a player.
“I will never allow any player to be above the club. So, it’s clear. I am the person responsible for the team.
“I will not allow any player to think that he is more important than the club. Not me, not the sporting director, not the president.
“So these statements are worthless. They are the result of anger after a match, and I think that’s clear. We have nothing to lose.”
The champions had been looking to open up a four-point gap at the top of the table with victory over Rennes but, despite dominating the ball, they slipped to a shock defeat to their managerless opponents.
They fell behind to Musa Al-Taamari’s first-half strike before Esteban Lepaul doubled Rennes’ lead in the 69th minute.
Dembélé pulled it back to 2-1 against his old side but Rennes would have the final say, Breel Embolo scoring to make it three.
After the game, the Ballon d’Or winner hit out at unnamed members of the squad, saying: “Above all, we have to play for PSG in order to win matches.
“If we play as individuals on the pitch, it won’t work; we won’t win the titles we want.
“Last season, we put the club before everything else, before thinking about ourselves. We have to rediscover that, especially in these matches.
“We know we’re in the second half of the season. And Paris St Germain has to come first, not individual players.”
The team face Monaco over two legs in search of a place in the Champions League last 16 having failed to build on their success in winning last season’s competition, finishing 11th in the table in the league phase.
Luis Enrique’s strong man-management has helped PSG become a far more unified team. He made it clear that last year that, unlike previous seasons with stars like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, there would be no pampered players.
Dembélé found that out the hard way, when Luis Enrique dropped him for a Champions League game at Arsenal early last season on disciplinary grounds.
It worked as Dembélé went on to score 35 goals overall and help PSG win the Champions League for the first time. PSG’s surge to the title was largely unexpected — as was Dembélé’s suddenly prolific scoring — and the element of surprise has now gone.
Last season stretched until the Club World Cup final in mid-July and saw some PSG players appear in more than 60 games.
The team’s high-octane style and incessant closing down demands a lot. Perhaps as a consequence, and with little recovery time over the summer, the club has been hit by injuries to key players throughout this campaign.
Dembélé has not been able to form the same understanding in attack with Désiré Doué, with both players being injured twice.
PSG reached the last 16 last season by beating French side Brest 10-0 over two legs. It promises to be a harder test against Monaco, who beat PSG earlier this season in Ligue 1 and are improving in defense, with four clean sheets in the past six games.
Coach Sébastien Pocognoli is waiting on the fitness of attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, midfielder Lamine Camara and goal-scoring winger Ansu Fati, but insisted that the outcome of the tie would not dictate the success of his team’s season.
“For me, the biggest challenge is having a successful season,” Pocognoli said. “[Tuesday’s] match is part of that objective. There’s no extra pressure or expectation surrounding this game, even if we’re facing PSG in the Champions League.
“They are the defending champions, eager to prove themselves again this year and retain the trophy. The reality is that we are the underdogs, and we have to embrace that status and do everything we can to give ourselves a real chance of qualifying.”
Information from PA and The Associated Press was used in this report.
