Tag: PSG

Romanian Istvan Kovacs has been appointed to referee the Champions League final between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan in Munich on May 31,  according to UEFA .

The 40-year-old Kovacs officiated at the 2022 Europa Conference League final and 2024 Europa League final between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen.

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He has refereed seven Champions League games this season, including the last-16 second leg between Liverpool and PSG.

Paris St Germain have already retained their Ligue 1 title but in what could turn out to be the club’s greatest ever season, keeping players motivated is the most important thing at this stage of the campaign, manager Luis Enrique said.

PSG’s priority may be winning their first Champions League trophy, with a semi-final against Arsenal to come, and the club can also retain the Coup de France against Stade de Reims in the final, but the league still has much to offer.

Luis Enrique’s side can become the first team to remain unbeaten throughout a Ligue 1 season, and avoiding defeat at Nantes on Tuesday would see them beat AC Milan’s record of 38 away games without defeat.

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“We are very motivated because we can set a record of the European team in the big five leagues with the longest unbeaten run away from home,” Luis Enrique told reporters.

“We are really motivated because we do want our unbeaten title.

“As for the situation in the table, Nantes are fully motivated as well, so we know how difficult it is.”

The manager has been able to rotate his starting team, making nine changes for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Le Havre from their Champions League game against Aston Villa last week, which is key to getting the best out of the whole squad.

“Without doubt, that is the challenge that we face at the moment and that is the challenge for coaches,” the manager said. “Because it can be hard to motivate everyone, particularly the ones who are less involved, but I feel very lucky because my players are responding in the best possible way and turning in top level performances.

“I would like them all to get more playing time but it is difficult to do that because to do that I have to stop high-level players from playing.”

As well as getting as many players involved as possible, allowing them to rest has also been a priority for the treble-chasing club.

“You need to manage the physical and emotional workload,” Luis Enrique said.

“That goes for teams that are very exposed and play every three days, so it can be hard to have days off and when you give a player a day off it is crucial.

“I think we are one of the teams with the longest Christmas break. We had 10 days and we gave the players two weeks off where we could, and they were able to make the most of it.”

PSG have five league matches left, and take on a Nantes side still involved in a survival battle, 14^th  in the standings and three points above the relegation zone.

 Paris St Germain cannot afford any complacency as they prepare to visit Aston Villa in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tonight, manager Luis Enrique insisted despite his side’s two-goal cushion in the tie.

Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes scored in the first leg to earn PSG a 3-1 comeback win and dent Villa’s hopes of making it to the semi-finals.

Asked if PSG’s lead had made them favourites to progress to the competition’s final four, Luis Enrique told reporters on Monday: “The road to the Champions League is paved with favourites who have been eliminated along the way.

“Of course, we were better in the first leg and deserved the win, but that story is behind us. Now a second story begins. We’ll see who’s better, who’s going to win.

“We have that advantage but it doesn’t fit in with our philosophy of thinking with certainty. We still have this idea of not calculating. If Aston Villa score or win, we have to show in this match that we have the level required to reach the semi-finals.”

PSG, who have already won a fourth straight Ligue 1 title and have also reached the French Cup final, are aiming to capture an elusive Champions League title and secure a treble.

Luis Enrique said he was delighted with his side’s ability to block out the noise despite their success this season, adding: “As time goes by, the scenarios around us change.

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“We’ve gone from the maximum pessimism we saw at the start of the season to the excessive motivation and joy we’re seeing at the moment. The key in these cases is the maturity we’re seeing despite the youth of my team.

“The ability to forget everything that’s going on and stay focused on the game. Because nothing’s done, it’s not over yet. It’s going to be difficult and we expect to suffer. If we’re prepared to suffer, that means we’re ready to achieve our objective, which is victory.”

Luis Enrique added that he expected the home supporters to create a daunting atmosphere at Villa Park, but called on his side to embrace the challenge.

“We want to try to solve the problems that Aston Villa are going to present us with,” he added.

“Our objective is to win. For us, it’s always about being competitive in a stadium like Villa Park. We like to play at home and away. It’s not a problem but a motivation.”

PSG top the list after the French champions paid their players a combined total of €658m (£553m), while LaLiga giants Real Madrid (£424m) and Barcelona (£400m) also feature in the top four.

But the rest of the list is dominated by English clubs. Manchester City (£465m) are right behind PSG, and their heavy spending paid off as they won a fourth successive Premier League title.

Meanwhile, Liverpool (£377m) are hot on the heels of Barcelona in fifth. Bayern Munich (£361m) sit in sixth, before the rest of the top 10 is completed by Manchester United (£360m), Chelsea (£332m), Arsenal (£320m) and Aston Villa (£245m). United’s wage bill did not translate to results on the pitch as they endured their worst campaign of the Premier League era under Erik ten Hag before the Dutchman was sacked last October.

Chelsea also missed out on the Champions League despite splashing the cash, but Arsenal pushed City all the way in the title race and Villa returned to Europe’s elite club competition after a brilliant campaign with Unai Emery at the helm.

Figures show that player wages across Europe reached €18bn (£15.1bn) in 2023-24, up by 6.5 per cent on the previous year.

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It has also been confirmed that player salaries have significantly increased since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following the release of the latest UEFA Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, the governing body’s president Aleksander Ceferin has warned clubs about paying excessive amounts of money to their players.

“While most clubs appear to be managing player wage increases responsibly, other costs are rising rapidly, putting greater pressure on operating margins than ever before,” he said. “Clubs must remain vigilant as there is still much work to be done to restore pre-pandemic profitability.”

Premier League clubs must adhere to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) each year or face punishment, with Everton and Nottingham Forest both being handed points deductions last season after breaching the regulations.

UEFA also have their own financial rules for clubs involved in their competitions to follow.

2023-24 FOOTBALL’S HIGHEST WAGE BILLS

1. PSG – £553m

2. Manchester City – £465m

3. Real Madrid – £424m

4. Barcelona – £400m

5. Liverpool – £377m

6. Bayern Munich – £361m

7. Manchester United – £360m

8. Chelsea – £332m

9. Arsenal – £320m

10. Aston Villa – £245m

*Source: UEFA Club Licensing Benchmarking Report

 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique was full of praise for his former LaLiga rival Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash against the Spanish side.

Last year’s semi-finalists PSG and quarter-finalists Atletico have had a lacklustre start in the new Champions League format, both having only one win after three games.

A home victory would boost PSG, currently 19th with four points, while Atletico, languishing in 27th  place on three, are aiming to rebound after back-to-back losses.

PSG have never faced Atletico in the European Cup before but Luis Enrique’s Barcelona, who he managed from 2014 to 2017, defeated Diego Simeone’s Atletico side nine times in their 14 meetings, drawing twice and losing three times.

Luis Enrique led Barca to a Champions League-LaLiga double in 2014-15 followed by another league title the next year.

“We’ve played against each other as players and then as managers. I admire Simeone, when a coach can stay for so many years at a top club it means he is great because that is such a difficult thing to do,” Luis Enrique told reporters

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Argentine Simeone has managed Atletico for 13 years, guiding them to two LaLiga and two Europa League titles but the Madrid side had considered hiring Luis Enrique prior to Simeone.

“I had given my word to another club. If I had gone to Atleti, I would not have stayed half as long as Simeone because I don’t have the energy as him,” added Luis Enrique.

“They are lucky to have found Simeone as a coach. You need a lot of energy, to be able to convince all your players over the long-term.”

The Spaniard said he was satisfied with PSG’s previous performances and added that their results were undeserved.

“I would settle for repeating the statistics obtained in our draw with PSV Eindhoven (1-1) and win against Girona (1-0), with different results,” he said. They also lost 2-0 at Arsenal.

PSG, without former talisman Kylian Mbappe who joined Real Madrid in the close season, have just two goals in their three Champions League games.

“I have no doubt we can improve in defence and attack, whether it is with the defender duos of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, or Milan Skriniar and Lucas Beraldo, or in the midfield,” Luis Enrique said.

“I understand you want to discuss individual players, but we analyse things from a broader perspective.

“What interests me is to always generate goal scoring opportunities and to arrive in the penalty area because you have managed to be stronger than your opponent. That is my objective as a coach: to always generate opportunities”