Why the international break came at a bad time for Paris Saint-Germain?
The International break begins this week, with European countries playing UEFA Nations League matches and South American countries playing friendlies. This international break will be interesting for fans of the Portugal and Argentina national teams, as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both retired from international football.
It will be a stressful one for Luis Enrique, as he will just be hoping that no key player picks up a significant injury. He arguably won't be pleased at the timing of this break for numerous reasons. Here at PSG Post, we discuss why the international break did not come at a good time for Les Parisiens
Why the timing of this International break is bad for PSG?
The European champions were in great form
PSG have won their last 11 games in all competitions. This is quite impressive considering that they have had to play against Barcelona at home, Man City at the Etihad and fierce rival Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome. The record is more remarkable when you consider that it equals Enrique's longest winning run as a coach. Les Parisiens had momentum, so having two weeks off could hinder them ahead of the busy winter period. Enrique won't be able to use the time to work on things in training, as several star players are out on international duty.
Luis Enrique won't be able to watch film with his key players
In total, 10 PSG players were called up for their national teams. They are as follows: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Illia Zabarnyi (Ukraine), Fabian Ruiz (Spain), Ferran Torres (Spain), Joao Neves (Portugal), Vitinha (Portugal), Mika Godts (Belgium), Desire Doue (France), Warren Zaire Emery(France), and Willian Pacho. This is quite a substantial amount when you consider that Nuno Mendes (Portugal), Ousmane Dembélé (France), Marquinhos (Brazil), Maghnes Akliouche (France), and Khvicha (Georgia) are side-lined with injuries. Enrique won't have his whole squad to analyse what is working in this 11-game winning run and what they could do better.
Risk of player picking up an injury. It is just before the busy period
November international breaks come at the worst time, as they are just before the busy December/ January period. PSG already has several players who won't play for their country during this international break because of injury. Enrique will be hoping that the international break won't result in more players getting injured, as that could hinder the club's chances of winning the Champions League for a third time in a row, becoming the second team in the modern era after Real Madrid (2016-18) to do so.
