Luis Enrique was right about PSG.

PSG have almost reached the pinnacle of perfection this season – an achievement they never accomplished when possessing Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe in their squad.

Luis Enrique has transformed PSG.

When defender Lucas Hernandez whispered "It's just the beginning" after the victory against Angers in the 28th round of Ligue 1 on April 5th, he wasn't just talking about Paris Saint-Germain's fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title. It was an affirmation of a new philosophy, a new era – where PSG is no longer a team of individual stars, but a perfectly functioning winning machine.

PSG is different now.

What Luis Enrique once boldly declared has now become an undeniable reality: PSG is stronger without Kylian Mbappe. A seemingly absurd statement has been proven true by undeniable statistics and achievements.

In the early hours of May 8th, PSG defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, securing their place in the final with a 3-1 aggregate score over two legs. The dream of a treble is now within reach for Luis Enrique's team, and the image of the Parisian giants has been completely rebuilt.

Never before in the Qatar Sports Investments era has the Parisian club achieved such a high win rate in Ligue 1 (82.1%). This is no coincidence, but the inevitable result of a carefully prepared philosophical transition.

With 9.8 deep ball recoveries in the opponent's half per match, the highest ball possession rate (68.3%), and the average number of accurate passes per match (653), PSG has become the embodiment of Luis Enrique's "die for ball control" philosophy. After many years, the Parc des Princes team has built a distinct identity.

Looking back at PSG's history, the difference is easily apparent. Reims' central defender Yunis Abdelhamid once remarked bitterly: "It's very easy to move the ball from the defense because the three attacking players aren't involved in defending."

PSG have qualified for the Champions League final in the 2024/25 season.

That's how this player described the MNM (Messi-Neymar-Mbappé) era – a period when PSG possessed three of the world's top attacking stars but failed to build a strong team. How can you build a team when only seven out of ten players off the pitch are willing to drop back to defend?

Christophe Galtier faced this unsolvable problem and failed. When Messi and Neymar left in 2023, the problem was eased, but there was still one final "passenger" - Mbappe.

Luis Enrique saw the problem and bravely gambled on a future without the French superstar. "We will have a better team both in attack and defense," he confidently declared in February, and the current numbers have proven him right.

Mbappe's departure is not the loss many feared, but rather the key to opening a new chapter for PSG. Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Goncalo Ramos, Desire Doue – all have scored more than 10 goals this season, and now Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – they are not individual stars, but perfect pieces in a diverse and unpredictable attacking machine.

PSG's unbeaten domestic season is proof of Luis Enrique's principle of averages. When you control the game and create plenty of chances, goals will inevitably follow. PSG no longer relies on a single moment of individual brilliance, but rather on the strength of a perfectly organized team.

PSG has now become a true team.

However, interestingly, there's something... boring about this dominance. Not because the gameplay is unappealing, but because the results are too predictable.

It's like watching a blockbuster movie knowing the ending beforehand – still entertaining, but lacking the suspense. After years of chaos and unpredictability, PSG has become what every top club dreams of – a formidable winning machine, but sometimes… boring, not unlike Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Luis Enrique's luck

In contrast to Luis Enrique's current success are the failures of his predecessors. Unai Emery, who failed in his tenure at Parc des Princes, once lamented: "At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola was in charge. At PSG, Neymar has to be the one to decide."

Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, and Galtier were all tasked with building teams composed of contrasting and diverse elements, a nearly impossible undertaking. Luis Enrique was luckier; he didn't inherit a perfect team, but at least he was given the power to shape it in his own way.

The former Barca manager dismantled the star culture and instead built an environment where the collective comes first. On the pitch, there is plenty of creativity and freedom, but everything must serve the common philosophy.

With the Ligue 1 title in hand, a strong contender for the Coupe de France, and a Champions League final under their belt, PSG have the opportunity to make history with a treble. But as Hernandez emphasized, the Champions League is the ultimate goal – the trophy PSG craves most but has never lifted.

At this point, the Parisian club has reached the Champions League final. In Munich (Germany) on June 1st, Luis Enrique's team will face a formidable challenge in Inter Milan, the Italian giant that has consecutively defeated Bayern Munich and the formidable Barcelona. The outcome is still uncertain, but one thing is clear for PSG: they have quickly found their winning formula. And that's not due to individual stars, but to the strength of a perfectly organized team. Importantly, this is just the beginning.

Source: https://znews.vn/luis-enrique-da-dung-ve-psg-post1551713.html