FEATURE | How Luis Enrique has transformed PSG into European contenders | OneFootball

Within two seasons, Luis Enrique has done what many thought was impossible. The Spaniard has transformed Paris Saint-Germain from an expensive collection of superstars following their egos and pulling in their own directions into one of European football’s most selfless, cohesive, and frightening teams. When you consider PSG’s recent past, this transformation is nothing short of a miracle.

For much of the past 14 years, since QSI took over the club, PSG have resembled a giant moth flittering towards the next bright thing. They bounced around from superstar to superstar (Zlatan Ibrahimović, Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi), hoping that a big name would bring them the one prize that they have obsessively pursued: the Champions League, their Holy Grail.

Les Parisiens have been fabulously successful in France, gobbling up Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles. However, success in Europe has always fallen short, with bitter heartbreaks and catastrophic collapses the usual story. And the reason always came back to the fact that individual talent was enough to win in France, but at the top level of European football, it would eventually be exposed by a better-constructed team.

Kylian Mbappé’s departure

The turning point for PSG came during the summer when Kylian Mbappé left for Real Madrid on a free transfer. With Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. having left the previous summer, the France captain had become the last remaining vestige of the superstar era. His exit signalled a fresh start for the club, and it was a situation that Luis Enrique was keen to embrace.

Despite having a career-best season under Luis Enrique, scoring 44 goals across all competitions, Mbappé had struggled to fully commit to the coach’s system. Luis Enrique demands that his players attack and defend as one amorphous unit, but with Mbappé, it felt more like they attacked with one and defended as nine. He was often disinterested in defence, and the attack became overly reliant on him at the expense of the team.

As Luis Enrique explained at the start of the 2024/25 season, “If someone scores 40 goals, we won’t close the door. But based on my experience, I’d rather have four players who score 12… It’s a challenge to prove football is a collective sport – not just for the forwards, but for the whole team.”

Luis Enrique’s golden touch

Last season, only Mbappé and Gonçalo Ramos reached double figures for goals. This season, the burden has been shared across the team with Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Gonçalo Ramos, and Désiré Doué all reaching double figures. Luis Enrique’s system has clicked, and the team are playing a swashbuckling style of football that has seen goals come from all parts of the squad.

However, the most impressive feat Luis Enrique has achieved is managing to create a PSG team that are hungry to defend and do the gritty work. In an interview with The Athletic, João Neves demonstrated the mentality present in this new look PSG, “Luis Enrique wants a team that gives 100 per cent in the attacking moments and 120 per cent in the defensive moments. That’s why I’m here and why I’m enjoying it so much.”

The result of this shift in mentality has seen the club reach their second Champions League final, where they will take on Inter Milan. It’s no coincidence that the team look at their very strongest now that they have finally rejected a system that placed the individual above the team. Football is and has always been a team sport. Luis Enrique has finally taught PSG that lesson.

GFFN | Nick Hartland