‘It’s the second time it’s happened’ – Luis Enrique’s PSG squad selection criticised by Metz manager

Paris Saint-Germain’s focus has not been on Ligue 1 for quite some time. Whilst PSG, prior to Sunday evening, had not been mathematically assured of a third successive league title, their triumph was an inevitability. 

Unsurprisingly, Luis Enrique has chosen to rest key players, notably Kylian Mbappé, in Ligue 1 matches, in order to preserve them for the UEFA Champions League. This form of management did not sit well with Le Havre AC president Jean-Michel Roussier earlier this month, who accused PSG of “taking the p*ss” after heavily rotating his side in a 1-1 draw against fellow relegation strugglers Clermont Foot. 

Luis Enrique once again rotated his side on Saturday when Le Havre visited the Parc des Princes. With just a matter of days before their Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund, Mbappé once again dropped to the bench in a 3-3 draw, whilst Gianluigi Donnarumma, Fabián Ruiz, Lucas Hernandez and Nuno Mendes weren’t even included in the squad.

This time, FC Metz manager Laszlo Bölöni had his say on Luis Enrique’s squad selection. “It’s the second time it’s happened,” said Bölöni after Metz’s 2-1 defeat to Lille OSC, which sees the club drop back into the relegation play-off spot. 

“How can I express myself? Who can talk about it? Maybe it’s intelligent if I shut up but if I do and say nothing, that means I’m saying a lot,” said the Metz manager, who admitted to being “annoyed” by the resting of players by PSG, however, he did not wish to “offend” PSG nor their players by terming the line-up as a B team. Metz face PSG on the final day of the season and will be hoping for similar treatment. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle