PSG boss Luis Enrique makes emphatic Arsenal claim as style of play analysed

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has heaped praise on Arsenal, labelling them “one of the best teams in Europe” as they gear up for their Champions League clash.

The Gunners are set to welcome PSG to the Emirates Stadium tonight, seeking avictory after their stalemate with Atalanta. Enrique didn’t hold back in his praise of the north London outfit and their manager Mikel Arteta before kick-off.

Speaking to the media, Enrique said: “I think they are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. With the ball they are a team very close to the top European level and without the ball they are also very good.

“I would even say that they are one of the best teams in the world without the ball. They are a team with a real identity. We are similar but also have different styles of play.”

The PSG boss also expressed admiration for Arteta, recalling their time together at Barcelona.

Enrique reminisced: “I have good memories of him as a team-mate. He had a great career as a player, he had a very successful end to his career. We haven’t faced off against each other since we’ve both been coaching.

“Even if it’s only five minutes before the game, I’d like to talk to him and it will be a pleasure to be able to greet him on Tuesday. He’s one of the best coaches on the market right now and he’s helped Arsenal become a club that wins titles again. He’s a great coach and a great person.”

Arteta is also relishing the prospect of facing PSG and Enrique. “I’m a huge admirer of him,” he said. “He has an unbelievable personality, huge character, huge energy, always very supportive with young players.

“What I love about him is wherever he’s been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place. You can sense it’s his team the way his players behave, the way they want to attack and dominate games.

“The spirit, the energy they have, he has this unbelievable power with all the clubs he’s been at, with the Spain national team. And then his approach to life, to his profession it’s something to really look at and I learnt a lot of things from him.

“I admire his honesty. He’s straightforward he will look in your eyes and tell you what he thinks. In the end, players appreciate that. They might like it more or less, depending on how it happens, but I have had two or three players here who were with him in the national team, and they always said the same thing, they all enjoy playing under him.

“When somebody can make you feel like that in this profession, it’s a big quality to have. He’s won pretty much every competition you can imagine already in his career, he has transformed a club that has a very clear identity. It’s a very good test for all of us.”