When Luis Enrique spent the first half of PSG’s initial 2025/26 Champions League clash in the press box instead of prowling the touchline, it felt like another break from tradition by one of football’s most restless innovators. He has now done it in back-to-back games, including PSG’s 2–0 victory over Lens in Ligue 1 and the emphatic 4–0 win over Atalanta to open their European campaign. The sight of a Champions League coach detached from the dugout sparked debate. Was this clever experimentation or a risky abdication of presence?

Enrique himself explained it plainly after the Lens match. “I wanted to watch the first half from the stands, and it’s magnificent. It’s different. I can control everything,” he said. He cited rugby as his inspiration, where elevated vantage points are standard practice. From above, he argued, the game reveals itself more fully: team shape, movement between the lines, and who is struggling or thriving. By halftime, he felt equipped to deliver sharper, clearer instructions.

This wasn’t a one-off eccentricity. Enrique has long been drawn to altitude. At Celta Vigo a decade ago, he had scaffolding erected at the training ground so he could observe practice from high above. At Barcelona and later with Spain, he repeated the habit, often perched on towers with a headset, even experimenting with walkie-talkies to give players instructions in real time. The logic is consistent: football looks different from above, and the details that decide matches can be easier to spot from that perspective.

The view from above versus the presence below

Still, the press box experiment unsettled many. Football culture expects the manager to embody the team on the sideline, a visible conductor of emotion and authority. Watching from afar risks being seen as aloof. Even Enrique acknowledged that the trade-off comes in communication. Assistants must be ready to relay urgent tweaks, since the head coach isn’t there to bark orders in the moment.

Yet the benefits are hard to ignore. From his elevated seat against Lens, Enrique said, “We have so much direct information. You can perfectly deliver the halftime talk because you’ve clearly seen who played well on the pitch.” In both matches, PSG improved after the break, tightening their grip against Lens and then dismantling Atalanta in Europe. It’s difficult not to credit the wider perspective.

There’s also a pragmatic element. Enrique recently suffered a cycling accident, and sitting upstairs may have been easier physically than the sideline’s constant demands. That practicality intersects with his analytical bent, making the choice look less radical and more inevitable.

The question lingers: should managers be allowed to do this? The rules don’t forbid it. The Laws of the Game specify who may occupy the technical area, but coaches are free to observe from the stands. UEFA regulations also allow it, provided assistants on the bench are properly registered and communication is maintained. It’s unconventional, but not illegal.

In the end, it comes down to philosophy. Do you prefer your boss touch grass or provide strategic pointers from above?