This Wednesday, in the opening round of the 2025–2026 Champions League group stage, Paris Saint-Germain faced Atalanta at the Parc des Princes. After PSG’s 4–0 win (match highlights PSG/Atalanta), Atalanta coach Ivan Jurić spoke to Sky Italia about the gap in quality and his game plan.
Jurić: “Teams that do that don’t even try and end up losing worse.”
“The difference was huge. They’re on a level far above ours. Should we have been more cautious? We had analysed PSG’s matches well. Teams that do that don’t even try and end up losing worse. The only sides that hurt Paris were Strasbourg and Lens—teams that tried to win the ball back quickly and break fast. We chose that method,” he told Guillaume Pacini.
From the outset, the Atalanta coach couldn’t hide it: PSG were simply too strong. It’s always refreshing to hear such honesty. Now it’s up to Paris to maintain that level, knowing tougher challenges are coming. This Italian side are good, but they’re not title contenders.
As for the game plan, it’s always easier for journalists to criticise after the match. Yet Jurić’s choices were coherent. Atalanta stuck to their identity and managed to trouble PSG at times. To cope, Paris had to be at their very best. Whenever their movement or precision dipped even slightly, they ran into difficulties.
A low block can sometimes work, just like pressing high up the pitch. But PSG often find a way through eventually, and opposing teams struggle to change their approach mid-match. Many defeats end with the feeling that nothing was truly attempted — just as Jurić pointed out. Football has no magic formula; anything can happen.
Sticking to your philosophy makes sense. Adapting can also backfire and be even more frustrating.
