PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique admitted his team still has a lot of room for improvement after advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League by eliminating Monaco early this morning.
The Spanish manager said this after a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the play-offs which saw PSG advance 5-4 on aggregate.
“We got the toughest draw in the league phase and we are used to playing games like this against anyone,” said Enrique.
PSG held a 3-2 lead from last week’s first leg, but Maghnes Akliouche put Monaco ahead on a night at the Parc des Princes to level the aggregate.
A red card for Monaco’s Mamadou Coulibaly early in the second half opened up space for PSG to equalise through Marquinhos before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put them back in front.
However, despite playing with a shortage of players, the club from Monaco still managed to equalize through Jordan Teze, and Wout Faes even missed the best chance to drag the match into extra time.
“Of course we can and want to improve our game, but there is always an opponent and we know how difficult this match will be,” said Enrique.
“The next game might be easier, no? Chelsea or Barcelona – not too bad. But if there’s a team that’s ready, it’s us.”
PSG are currently leading Ligue 1 and still have a chance to defend the Champions League title they won for the first time last season.
They have also won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and French Champions Trophy this season, all via penalty shootouts.
However, there is a view that the Qatari-owned club has yet to reach the level of performance seen in the second half of last season when they defeated European rivals before thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final in Munich.
“We knew it would be difficult and we were not surprised by Monaco,” Enrique insisted.
“We showed fighting spirit and ability to overcome problems, but this competition is difficult. It is important for us to improve our performance and that is what we will do.”