Former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has referenced his experiences of both clubs as a point of contrast with the current Paris Saint-Germain team, suggesting it may be one of the reasons for their continued struggles in Europe.
Despite reaching the final in 2020, PSG have struggled repeatedly in Europe, and increasingly it feels as every season ends in a drama and pressure for the manager.
For many, it is not the signings nor the manager which are the issue, but rather the dressing room culture. Speaking on Amazon Prime Sport France (via MD), Henry highlighted the lack of disicipline at PSG.
“What are the rules at PSG? In general, it is the elders who give you the rules when you arrive at the club. When I arrived at Arsenal, it was impossible to do what I wanted to do. You were fined if you ever overstepped a bit in your role.”
😍 L'ovation du kop troyen pour Thierry Henry au stade de l'Aube! pic.twitter.com/ZxV3oZoBvO
— Prime Video Sport France (@PVSportFR) May 7, 2023
Henry went on to explain an anecdote illustrated a similar hierarchy at Barcelona when he joined the Catalan side. Current manager Xavi Hernandez was the protagonist.
“When I arrived at Barca, I laughed at the “More than a club”. Xavi put me back on track, he told me “you haven’t won anything here… When you’ve won, you can talk.”
Xavi is now tasked with managing the whole dressing room these days. Throughout this season ex-midfielder has been at pains to highlight the value of Robert Lewandowski in a young team as somebody that sets the standard for the youngsters.
