Following Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-2 victory in Barcelona, Jérôme Rothen spoke on RMC Sport. The former midfielder praised the mental strength of a rejuvenated PSG, the quality of the Parisian project, and especially the work of Luis Enrique, who, according to him, is capable of dominating the greatest European coaches.
Rothen: “What haven’t we heard…”
“What haven’t we heard… These kinds of performances show how validated PSG’s project is. You don’t win like that at Barcelona by chance, even if it takes luck, and they had some yesterday (Wednesday). They showed that this club has really progressed over the last few months, that it’s a club that’s right up there, and that they deserve it.”
Rothen: “And then you realize that there’s no mental fatigue at PSG.”
I’m really impressed by their performance and the calm they displayed. They were a rejuvenated team, by necessity. But there was calm when you were down 1-0 and the first half wasn’t always under control. Barcelona were inspired for 15-20 minutes. With everything that’s happened since the start of the season, the injuries, not having had a break… And then you realize that there’s no mental fatigue at PSG. They’re monstrous on the European stage.
Rothen: “Frankly, the message they sent was very strong.”
Mental fatigue didn’t exist, even though we all know it’s difficult to have almost no breaks from one year to the next. At the end of the day, the strength they exude, with a brilliant coach… This coach, he reads his opponents, he devours all the other European coaches one by one. He devours them. He devours Atalanta’s coach two weeks ago (4-0 victory, Editor’s note). Yesterday (Wednesday), Flick had almost his entire team apart from Raphinha, and he didn’t reinvent himself. He stuck to what they supposedly know how to do. Frankly, the message sent is very strong.”
The impression left by PSG is strong. The Spanish, French, and foreign media all agree in praising the Parisian performance. Beyond the match, there is this domination against all the major European teams since the beginning of 2025. Everyone was crushed by this bulldozer led by Luis Enrique.
FC Barcelona talked a lot before the match and paid dearly for it, because against this Parisian team, it’s better to be sure of yourself. It’s true, PSG hadn’t met the Spanish club in the final stages of the last Champions League, so one might have wondered if the Parisians would manage to overcome this obstacle.
With the absences, it’s confirmation that the entire squad is confident. This is all thanks to Luis Enrique and his staff. The youngsters are growing, feeling good, and performing. There’s still work to be done, but with six points, we’re a long way from the previous European campaign. The lights are green, and confidence must be boosted immensely.
