Yaya Touré walked into the Parc des Princes press room on Wednesday night having just watched his Slovan Bratislava side lose 6-1, and he did not reach for a single excuse. The former Manchester City midfielder, now cutting his teeth in management, instead delivered the assessment Paris Saint-Germain supporters will happily frame: PSG are a machine.
It was the reigning European champions’ first outing of their Champions League defence, and there was never a contest. Ousmane Dembélé scored twice inside the first half, Ferran Torres helped himself to a hat-trick, and Les Parisiens racked up 21 shots before the interval alone. Suleiman Camara’s second-half strike for the Slovak side was the only blemish on the night.
‘In basically every aspect, they are a level above’
Speaking in a post-match press conference attended by Get French Football News, Touré was blunt about the chasm between the two teams.
“You’re playing against one of the best teams in the Champions League. In basically every aspect, they are a level above, and by some way, if we’re being honest. I learnt a lot today. Paris, in my opinion, I think they are close to winning this trophy again.”
That last line matters. Touré spent two decades inside dressing rooms at the very top of the European game, so a throwaway compliment from him would carry less weight than a considered one. He was not simply being polite about his hosts — he was tipping them for a third consecutive continental title.
Touré on the Ballon d’Or count in the PSG dressing room
The Ivorian also pointed to the sheer volume of individual recognition inside Luis Enrique’s squad, and it is the detail that best explains why Wednesday unfolded the way it did.
“In their team, they have nine Ballon d’Or nominees. It is very, very difficult. I think that my players gave their maximum, but it wasn’t easy. The gap is considerable. When you play against a team that is better than you, you understand […] PSG tonight, it is one of the best teams that we will face. They’re impressive. [PSG] are a machine.”
Paris’ representation on this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist has been one of the talking points of the week, and it was hard to argue with Touré’s framing while Dembélé was drifting into unmarked positions six yards out and Maghnes Akliouche was dribbling through the Slovan back line to tee up Torres for the fourth.
Why the verdict lands differently in Paris right now
Any other September, an opposition manager calling PSG a machine would be filed under standard pre-emptive flattery. This one arrives at a genuinely awkward moment. Paris have taken just two points from their opening three Ligue 1 fixtures — 2-2 draws away at Rennes and Lille, then a 2-1 defeat to Monaco — and sit seven points behind the league leaders after three matchdays. The only trophy-relevant win of the campaign so far came in the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa.
So the 6-1 doubles as a reminder of what this team still is when the pieces click. Nuno Mendes returned to the squad having served his suspension, Torres has now scored on both his Ligue 1 and Champions League debuts in a Paris shirt, and academy graduates were trusted with real minutes in a European fixture. For a side that had spent a fortnight being told its title defence was already unravelling, an evening spent being described as a machine by a Champions League-winning opponent is not a bad reset.
The caveat writes itself. Slovan Bratislava are not Ligue 1’s awkward mid-table customers, still less the sides Paris will meet in the knockout rounds. The gap Touré described is real, but it will be measured properly against better opposition.
Still, PSG are up and running as back-to-back holders, and the first man to face them in the competition this season has already put them among the favourites. There are worse ways to start a defence.
Sources: Get French Football News (Touré press conference, Luke Entwistle) and GFFN player ratings, PSG 6-1 Slovan Bratislava.
