Perhaps the match against FC Lorient wasn’t the most enticing fixture of the week for Paris Saint-Germain, but they still needed to win to maintain their comfortable lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table. But despite their overall dominance, Désiré Doué’s teammates, fielding a largely reshuffled starting eleven, could do no better than share the points with their opponents on the day.
A frustrating result for Luis Enrique, who, after the match, was keen above all to praise the performance of the Merlus. “I really like the way Lorient play,” enthused the Spanish manager. “It’s always good to see teams that show courage. They’ve played very well against us this season, both at home and here. That’s the first thing I’d like to say and emphasise.”
Luis Enrique “disappointed” not to have beaten Lorient
The second, meanwhile, concerned his players, many of whom are regular substitutes, who, according to Enrique, “showed their ambition” and “deserved to win this match”, but who “were a bit unlucky”.
A setback for Enrique, who made no secret of his disappointment in the post-match interview. “I’m not happy when I don’t win a match,” he admitted. “It’s impossible to be happy. If you’re very happy, you can’t be a top-level manager. I’m not happy, but we have to accept it. The opposition have quality and it’s always important to appreciate how difficult it is to play this kind of match at times like this.”
Still at the top of the Ligue 1 standings, PSG could, however, see RC Lens, their closest rivals, close the gap to four points should they beat OGC Nice this Saturday evening. This would reignite the title race somewhat, with less than two weeks to go before the clash between the two contenders for the league title.
