Luis Enrique Defends Zabarnyi Amid PSG Criticism

Luis Enrique did not hesitate. The first mention of Illia Zabarnyi’s name in Saturday’s press conference and the Paris Saint-Germain coach went straight into defence mode.

Criticism? He almost shrugged.

At a club like PSG, he argued, it is simply part of the job description.

The Ukrainian centre-back, now in his second season in Paris after a move worth more than 60 million euros in the summer of 2025, has found himself under the microscope again. He started only his second game of the campaign in midweek, in the Champions League against Slovan Bratislava, a match PSG swept 6-1. The scoreline was emphatic. The debate around him was not.

“Criticism? This is a natural thing,” Enrique said, as reported by RMC. “If you remember, it’s normal. When you are at a club like Paris Saint-Germain, there will always be criticism.”

Win big, still get picked apart. That was his message.

“Even if you win 6-1, you will find criticism of the players. It is very positive that there is this noise, because it means we are at a big club.”

Enrique widens the lens

The coach did not want the discussion framed as a Zabarnyi-only issue. He made it clear this cycle has played out before in Paris.

He began listing names. Bradley Barcola. Ousmane Dembélé. Désiré Doué. And, with a nod to himself, Luis Enrique.

“I remember the criticism that Barcola, Dembélé, Doué and, of course, Luis Enrique faced,” he said.

The pattern, in his eyes, is obvious. Players arrive, they struggle or simply take time to adapt, they get hammered in the media and on social networks, and then many of them grow into the shirt.

“This is natural. I think it simply works this way. We have to appreciate the fact that we are one of the best clubs in the world. I am very happy with my squad.”

Zabarnyi’s first season tells its own story

He featured 37 times across all competitions, a healthy number for a newcomer. Yet he never truly displaced the established pairing at the heart of the defence. Marquinhos and Willian Pacho kept him on the outside looking in when it came to a guaranteed starting role.

Now, in year two, the scrutiny has sharpened.

Results turn up the volume

The context around PSG this season explains why every performance, every selection, every individual mistake is dissected.

Paris have stumbled out of the blocks in Ligue 1, taking only two points from their opening three matches. That is not a start that buys anyone much patience.

The warning signs had already flashed in the Champions Cup, where PSG lost to Lens in a game Zabarnyi started. After that defeat, the Ukrainian was dropped to the bench for the league fixtures that followed.

The results did not improve enough to quiet the noise. Monaco beat them 2-1. Lille and Rennes both held PSG to 2-2 draws. Leads slipped, questions multiplied.

Amid all this, Zabarnyi is still waiting for his first Ligue 1 minutes of the season. His only start came in Europe, in that 6-1 demolition of Slovan Bratislava, a night that should have eased pressure but instead reinforced Enrique’s point: at PSG, even a rout does not silence the critics.

For now, the coach has drawn a clear line. The defender remains part of a squad he insists he is “very happy” with, shielded publicly by a manager who knows the noise will not stop — and that his players must learn to live, and thrive, inside it.