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Graham Hunter
The coach faced Barcelona at the previous Champions League and, although he eliminated his beloved club, said: “I don’t want to face Barça again in the next 10 years”
The party of Barcelona receiving al Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League He has great possibilities of being the best, more dramatic and exciting game of the world this week.
The last time they faced, 17 months ago, the Catalans obtained a brilliant victory in the French capital and the Parisians responded with a forceful victory in Barcelona. That duel gave us 10 goals, while the former Barça formerLuis Enriquehe inspired his new team to the semifinals of the Champions League In your debut season.
Since eight of the 12 best ranking players in Golden Ball last week they were scheduled to decorate Wednesday’s game, there has been an understandable approach to the injured lists: Raphinha, Gavi, Ousmane dembélé, Marquinhos, Desired Down y Khvicha Kvaratskheliaall discarded; In addition, doubts of varying degrees surround João Neves, Fabián Ruiz y Vitinha.
But this is a meeting that can leave the shattered participants, regardless of the physical or mental state in which they are when they reach it.
Of the three that I have in mind, only two are scheduled to face again this time: Luis Enrique and Ronald Araújo. The other is Xavi Hernándezwho, defeated and expelled on April night last year, only trained the club he loves with passion for seven more games before they fired him.
With that gerry of glory in the Champions League (a possible semifinal against the Borussia Dortmund And what, hypothetically, would have been the third final of Barça in Wembley, this time a classic against the Real Madrid), while winning 4-2 in the Global with 72% of the disputed tie, Xavi’s hopes of maintaining his post disappeared. So are the whims of football management.
However, it is the two survivors who should interest you.
Since that season, since he eliminated the club he loves, of which he is a partner, and where he won 16 trophies as a player and coach over 14 years, Luis Enrique It is fashionable, as the French would say. Has won nine of the 11 trophies available for PSG In two incredible years, including his second triplet, and, as recently as last week, he won the Golden Ball Johan Cruyff 2025 as coach of the year for a win. But what was later completely unnoticed is how much his family cost him to go through that hard 2024 experience to eliminate the Barcelona of the Champions League.
I am lucky to have him as a friend and was generous with his time and with our access when, at that precise moment, we were recording our documentary “You have no p … idea” about him. A couple of days after the expulsion of Araújo in the second leg and the PSG win, converting a 4-2 against a 6-4 overall victory, we held a photo session previously agreed with Luis Enrique In his huge, modern and quite soulless campus office of the PSG in Psg in Poissy. It is a new building, has fantastic facilities and is the headquarters from which the PSG He planned and executed his exciting assault on European hegemony.
But it is vast, it may seem like a cavernous and empty set. That gray afternoon, there were hardly any people, the atmosphere was bleak, and he simply told us the truth as he felt it then; The times have changed, but this was a raw image of the affections of a divided man and the price of doing his job brilliantly.
That day he told us: “I don’t want to face Barça again in the next 10 years. Not once! For my good and that of my family!”
He added: “It was very hard for my family, for my friends, for me. Wow! Too!”
The truth is that, although it is originally from the beautiful city of Gijón, in northern Asturias, Barcelona And its surroundings are your true home now and they will always be. In addition, the love that he and his whole family feel for the Blaugrana club is deeply rooted.
The closest relatives of Luis Enriquehis Catalan wife and his two children, admitted that they were deeply undecided about whether to attend the second leg, given their premonition that it would become a situation without exit. If they were eliminated, it would be a great disappointment for her husband and father; If they passed, they would surely feel disappointed.
The other loser of that night enters the right: Araújo.
Luis Enrique And his analysts of the PSG They identified the Uruguayan international as good … but not good enough if the right points were pressed. In a scene that allowed us to use in the documentary (whose title used the PSG fans for the banner that welcomed Luis Enrique back to the Princes Park after his victory in the Golden Ball Johan Cruyff), dictates to his players with precision how he wants to be ajuded and exploited by the weaknesses of Araujo.
During the team meeting the night before the match in Montjuïc, the coach of the PSG He told his players: “This man is Araújo. A first level footballer. Without a doubt. But he is the Barça player with more problems.”
“Every time the ball goes to him, in any situation, while the ball is still in motion, we close its pass line and then press it. We let Araújo go out with the ball. When he does, we isolate it and press it.”
The video images showed that Araújo was anxious to receive the ball; He was an unconditional leader and defense, but poor in the use of possession when he was pressed. He tended to get rid of the ball, instead of keeping calm. So the PSG closed other passes to Marc-André Ter Stegen And the rest of the local defenses, directed the ball at the foot of the Uruguayan and then set the trap. It was brutal.
In less than half an hour, the prize arrived. Araújo, attentive to the ball, without knowing that the PSG He had caused this play, was pressed and gave a erroneous pass to the midfielder of the PSG, Bradley Barcola.
After the game, Xavi regretted that compete 10 against 11 at that level, against a rival like the PSGit was practically impossible. Luis Enrique It deserves a positive note here.
He also showed his obedient team that PSG He could (and would do it) easily from the edge of the area due to the way he defended the Barcelona (This also happened) and inspired the type of pressure (unusual) of Kylian Mbappé That the coaches, including Xabi Alonso at this time, have tried in vain to get out of the brilliant striker. The PSG took the game and, when the victory finally secured, with a 4-1 to a minute from the end, Luis Enrique let out a little of the emotion he had been repressing.
The next day, in fact for several days, the Catalan media and social networks were filled with unpleasant, poisonous and full of vitriol comments, including comments such as: “That was a style behavior Mourinho“,” At Xavi in Pep Guardiola They would ever celebrate a victory against the Barcelona In that way “and” shameful, complete disrespect. “
The disappointment is often channeled in the form of anger and vitriol, but this was excessive and caused damage. The confidence and reputation of Araújo were severely affected and, ironically, now its importance for the team and self -confidence has been completely recovered.
In that wet, calm and reflective afternoon in Poissy, Luis Enrique He told us: “It was two brutal weeks. Also for the family … well, for everyone, naturally. Very hard, emotionally. We were exhausted. I am made pieces.”
“Honestly, for me it would have been much easier to play against Madrid. Much more! All that, even if we won. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I had finished badly. Not to mention. I would prefer not to have played against them.”
And here it goes again. New rival on the bench of Barçadefender champion, team full of injury, but facing the club for which (deep down in his heart) he feels great emotion. This time it is not a tie, it is true, but there is much, much at stake. Emotions, pride and, above all, how will they receive Catalan fans and media.
