Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Barcelona's Luis Enrique: PSG loss won't affect decision on my future

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said the 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday will have no impact on whether he decides to remain at the club beyond the summer.

Barca will look to pick themselves up on Sunday against La Liga strugglers Leganes following the demolition at the Parc des Princes, which left them on the brink of an exit from the Champions League at the round of 16 for the first time in a decade.

Their response to the resounding beating by Unai Emery's side will determine whether or not they can catch league leaders Real Madrid, although Luis Enrique said it would not alter his decision about whether to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season, while adding he does not know if he will stay or go.

"What happens in these months will have nothing to do with my decision, not one game, not two or the 38 games in the league. I still haven't taken it," he told a news conference ahead of the game with Leganes.

Luis Enrique said he was unaffected by the criticism that has come his way after the heavy defeat to PSG.

"I have nothing to say about it, I feel for anyone who thinks I'd be affected by it. Criticism has zero effect on me, if it was any other way I couldn't be in this job for almost three years," he said.

"We are our own fiercest critics, the ones who most want to improve. The rest is just a circus, but fortunately there's a considerable distance between us and you [the media].

"I never listen to the media and I'm not going to start this week. I don't go within 10 metres of a television or a radio -- not even when I'm drunk."

Luis Enrique said the game with Leganes, who are 17th in La Liga and fighting to avoid relegation, gave his side the chance to put their troubling week behind them.

He added that Barca would not become obsessed by the return game against PSG on March 8, where they will need to make Champions League history by becoming the first side to overturn a four-goal deficit from a first leg.

"It's a different game for us after what happened on Tuesday, a good game to see the team's response from a difficult situation," he said.

"We've got a month left until the second leg. It's obviously something important in my head but it would be absurd to only think about that game. We have four games before then and now's the time to think about tomorrow's game. There'll be plenty of time to speak about PSG."

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