Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has delivered a critical assessment of Paris Saint-Germain’s tactical management following their chaotic 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final first leg. Despite the French champions securing a win on Tuesday night, Rooney took issue with Luis Enrique’s refusal to adopt a more conservative approach when the game appeared to be firmly within their grasp. Additionally, the former England captain pinpointed a significant vulnerability within Vincent Kompany’s squad, suggesting that their offensive focus has come at a steep cost to their defensive integrity.
Providing analysis for Prime Video, Rooney argued that the Parisians missed a prime opportunity to effectively settle the aggregate scoreline while they held a three-goal cushion. He posited that the decision to continue pushing forward allowed the German giants a path back into the tie, potentially complicating the second leg. Regarding Bayern, Rooney was equally blunt, noting that the goals conceded in Paris suggested a lack of fundamental defensive coaching under Kompany’s current regime.
“I think Luis Enrique is a top coach so when they had the advantage at 5-2, I think then he should’ve said, ‘right, let’s shut up shop, let’s get behind the ball, make it hard, see the tie out’, potentially that would’ve got them to the final but they did not, they went for more goals,” Rooney observed during his post-match breakdown.
The pundit further elaborated on why the Bundesliga side struggled to contain the PSG frontline, attributing their difficulties to a lopsided tactical philosophy.
“Vincent Kompany has got a very attack-minded team, and I think you could clearly see they have not worked that much on defending because some of the goals we have seen are schoolboy goals,” he added.
As both teams prepare for the decisive return fixture in Munich, Rooney’s insights highlight a fascinating clash of styles—one team that refuses to stop attacking even when ahead, and another whose commitment to forward play has left their backline exposed at the highest level of European competition.
