Newcastle 4-1 PSG: Luis Enrique defends decision to play 4-2-4 formation in Champions League defeat

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has defended his decision to play a 4-2-4 formation against Newcastle.

Newcastle produced a surprise 4-1 win over the Ligue 1 champions at St James' Park with Luis Hernandez's 56th-minute strike proving to be nothing more than a consolation on a difficult night for the Parisian club who conceded three goals inside 50 minutes.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Luis Ocampos watched on from the stands as Enrique's side leaked goals, and the Spaniard faced questions after the match about why he set his team up with four forwards: Kylian Mbappe, Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani.

Enrique believes playing all four forwards from the start away from home was the right thing to do.

“I thought it was for the best, and I still do," the former Barcelona and Spain manager told Canal+.

"Those are difficult games to live through for a manager. I sincerely think the result is a bit unfair, but not totally. Congratulations to Newcastle, they played very good football.

"They were effective in the last part of the pitch and we made some mistakes, it is hard to accept that. If you make mistakes you pay for that. Their press worked.

"We tried to put in front of their goal as many chances as possible, but we weren’t so effective in the last part of the pitch. But the scoreline is excessive. The result is so big for them. But I think we didn’t deserve that result."

Enrique insists that his tactics worked, but says his team made mistakes and were not clinical enough in front of goal.

"It was a difficult night," he told TNT Sports.

"I don't think we deserved that kind of result, but they were so effective in the last part of the pitch.

"We made some mistakes, at that level it's always difficult to accept that. When you make mistakes you pay for it.

"The idea of overcoming their pressure it worked. We tried to put in front of their goal the most chances as possible but we weren't so effective in the last part of the pitch."

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media