Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has claimed Barcelona 'played like Eibar' under Xavi last season.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has fired shots at Barcelona and former boss Xavi, accusing the former manager of utilising "long ball football" last season.
Enrique made these comments referring to their UEFA Champions League meeting last season, where they overturned a 3-2 first-leg defeat to win 4-1 in the return fixture.
22:00 - 25.09.2024
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"It's simply not true to say Barcelona were the better team," Enrique said in a documentary chronicling his first season at PSG.
"They relied on long balls – Marc-André ter Stegen even broke the record for long passes, with 24."
Enrique didn't mince words: "Barcelona played like Eibar. It was all long balls. If you're a Xavi fan, you can dress it up as 'the third man', but that's what it was."
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League and finished 10 points behind Real Madrid in LaLiga, leading to the sacking of Xavi at the end of the season.
The Catalan giants employed ex-Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick, who has led the team to the top of LaLiga with a 100% record from their opening 7 games.