While the slap of Luis Enrique is scandalous, a Ligue 1 coach sends him, without knowing it, an unexpected and very revealing tribute.
In a few hours he became the most criticized coach in European football. After slapping a Chelsea player at the end of the Club World Cup final, lost by PSG (0-3), Luis Enrique faces an outcry. For many, this access to violence is inexcusable, even in a context of sporting frustration.
If he should only be fined, The Spanish technician is pointed out for his behavior unworthy of an educator.
An unexpected tribute from Auxerre
And yet, in the middle of the din, a voice rises. Or rather, raised even before the incident.
In an interview granted recently to Flashscore, Christophe Pélissier, AJ Auxerre coach, wanted to salute the work of Luis Enrique at PSG. He even designated it as his current model, insisting on the collective intelligence of his teams. “You have to be inspired by the best. Paris is the best team in the world ”he said, a few days before the Spaniard derailed in New York. These words today take a very special resonance.
The wink is not trivial. Pélissier is not an admirer of the facade: he is one of the rare coaches to have stood up to PSG this season. His Auxerre had managed a courageous draw at Father-Deschamps, with a united and disciplined team. For him, what Luis Enrique built goes beyond individualities. It is a global project, based on the collective, pressing, structure. And even after a slap too much, it remains, in his eyes, an example to follow.
“It is really my source of inspiration on the idea he wants to make a team”, he added.
Slap or not, Luis Enrique remains a model for some
Luis Enrique remains a reference in Ligue 1
This implicit support highlights the contrasting perception of the work of Enrique. If some accuse him of slipping, others see him in him a methodical builder, capable of bringing a team of stars to be operated as a block. And that does not go unnoticed in the Ligue 1 changing rooms.
Even if the facts of the Metlife Stadium tarnish its imageLuis Enrique retains an intact aura with his peers.
It remains to be seen whether this admiration will survive the next few weeks. The Spaniard will have to answer for his gesture before the authorities. But at least, in this storm, he knows that he is not totally alone. Some colleagues, without even wanting it, continue to erect it as a model.
