‘In February we’ll be a lot stronger’ - PSG boss Luis Enrique sends Champions League warning despite barely scraping out of the group with Borussia Dortmund draw

The reigning Ligue 1 champions secured their place in the knockout stages with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund, finishing second in the group. Despite a mixed performance in the group stages, including draws and defeats to Newcastle United and AC Milan, Enrique remains positive about PSG's prospects in the tournament.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Enrique said: "I am very happy because, throughout these six matches, we have shown a clear idea […] We have always been attacking and we have always created more chances than our opponents. This summer, there were 11 signings, new staff, and a new campus – everything is new. I have absolutely no doubt that in February, we’ll be a lot stronger."

A fortuitous penalty against Newcastle United on matchday five allowed PSG to come away with a point, which in hindsight has become crucial to their qualification. Against Dortmund, they lacked the cutting edge in attack and had to rely on the heroics of Warren Zaire-Emery to come out unscathed from Signal Iduna Park.

"We suffered like everyone else and at the same time we enjoyed it when we attacked," he said. "I'm very old, I have a lot of experience and I'm trying to instil confidence in the players and think about continuing to improve, nothing more. Qualifying is very important. It's very important because I think that to continue our progress, we need calm. In our case, in February, we'll be playing against a top team in the group, but we're looking forward to it."

PSG have been knocked out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage for two consecutive years, by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.

PSG opted for a complete revamp of their structure in the summer and brought in Enrique to lead the team to fulfil their ambition of conquering Europe. However, they have been pretty ordinary in the group stages having won just two of their six matches. While the Spanish manager clearly believes in the squad they will have to undergo a massive transformation in the next two months to challenge for Europe's top prize. They will be back in action in Ligue 1 against Lille on Sunday.