 |
Paris Saint-Germain is the most cohesive and tactically disciplined team in Europe this season. |
When Kylian Mbappe publicly announced his intention to leave PSG last season, ending the club's "Galactico" era, coach Luis Enrique was calm: "Our style of play is not based on giving Mbappe the freedom to do what he wants. Relying on superstars, that is the old philosophy of the club, which has never brought major titles."
Lessons from PSG
A year before Mbappe's departure, PSG also said goodbye to Lionel Messi and Neymar, two of the most sought-after stars in the world . The strange thing is that even without Messi, Neymar or Mbappe in the squad, PSG performed better, far beyond what people expected.
In his two seasons in charge of PSG, Enrique won two Ligue 1 titles and two French Cups. He obviously knows that these titles are not that important to PSG's ambitions. The Champions League is the true measure of a coach's success here, and the Spaniard has shown that he is superior to his predecessors.
After taking the French champions to the semi-finals last season, Enrique is now just one game away from the Champions League title PSG crave.
Before Luis Enrique arrived, PSG were renowned for their painful Champions League failures, from the incredible comeback by Barcelona in 2017 to the home collapse against Manchester United two years later.
This is an unstable team in the European playground. Therefore, coach Enrique once revealed that he only accepted to lead PSG on the condition that he was free to shape the team as he wanted, eliminating the star culture that prioritizes outstanding individuals over cohesion on the field.
Under Enrique, PSG have continued to spend heavily on transfers, but have not bought any players for more than €100 million. Most of the players Enrique has brought in have been affordable, and have not been labelled as "superstars" or Ballon d'Or candidates.
“I never thought I would coach PSG because their policy was to recruit the biggest superstars. But now they want to change,” the coach shared. Enrique came to Paris with a simple but firm philosophy: no one person is allowed to stand out more than the group.
He began by cleaning up the old squad, starting with Neymar – the symbol of PSG’s lavish but inconsistent era. At PSG, Enrique applied rigorous training sessions, strict tactical requirements and emphasized collective responsibility.
No player, including Mbappe last season, is exempt from defensive duties. When Mbappe leaves in the summer of 2024, there are concerns that PSG’s attacking potential will decline. But Enrique remains optimistic: “I would rather have four players scoring 12 goals each than one player scoring 40. The total number of goals is more.”
So far this season, Enrique has been proven right. Ousmane Dembele may be a contender for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, but the Frenchman has never been at the level of Mbappe or Messi. He even joined PSG for just €50 million, after a disappointing spell at Barcelona.
At PSG, Dembele has provided defensive support, focusing on becoming a cog in the team's operation. Enrique's end to the era of relying on superstars has helped PSG reap resounding success this season.
After Manchester City were defeated by PSG in the Champions League qualifying stage, Pep Guardiola had to admit that Enrique had turned PSG into "the best team in Europe".
 |
Coach Enrique helps Paris Saint-Germain transform. |
“Luis Enrique has created a great team, with great speed, great effort and quality in midfield,” said Pep. Like PSG, Inter Milan have been another successful example of success in the Champions League over the years, despite not having a single player in the squad who cost more than €100 million.
Inter's success
Compared to PSG, the team that spent 2.1 billion euros on transfers over the past 10 years, Inter Milan stands out with its economical way of building a squad but still competing at the highest level.
Not possessing any big names in the squad, Inter focuses on recruiting cheap players, suitable for coach Simone Inzaghi's tactics.
Yann Sommer, Francesco Acerbi, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian are not sought-after stars, but they played a significant role in helping the club reach the Champions League final.
Under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, Inter have made the most of the experience of their veterans to maintain a tight squad structure, creating unexpected victories. It should be remembered that in the last three seasons, only Inter and Real have reached the Champions League final twice.
But unlike Real, Inter did not need an expensive squad or a star-studded squad to reach the Champions League final. Their success came from a combination of Simone Inzaghi's smart tactics, the experience of their veterans and team spirit.
Despite being rated lower than PSG before the final, no one can underestimate Inter. The success of Inter and PSG is proof that a team does not necessarily need Neymar, Messi, Mbappe or Yamal in the squad to win the Champions League.
Source: https://znews.vn/su-that-ky-la-o-chung-ket-champions-league-post1557081.html
Comment (0)