Heading into Champions League play, Luis Enrique, the manager of reigning champs PSG, reflected on what took place in last season’s final, a 5-0 win over Inter, and what’s to come.
“The first title is always difficult because the players don’t think they’re capable of winning it. But we showed the way,” said the Spanish coach. “Now, the whole of PSG and the young players want to win because they know they’re capable. For me, it’s harder to win the first than the second or third.”
Following an away trip to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, where they won 7-2, he may be correct in that declaration.
It was a topsy-turvy match with both teams going down to 10 men, but with PSG growing a three-goal lead by halftime, you’d assume something like an Ousmane Dembele hat-trick got them to that point, considering he scored an eye-watering 35 goals last campaign. But he wasn’t in the starting XI after returning from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since the end of August. Neither was two-thirds of the midfield that won that title, with Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves both missing out with injuries.
Dembele did enter the match during the second half and only needed three minutes to show why he was the Ballon d’Or winner, giving PSG a four-goal advantage, but now, after three matches, PSG sit atop the Champions League league phase table with three wins, 13 goals scored, and only three conceded. Bayern Munich or Real Madrid can catch them on Wednesday, but as teams are getting into the swing of UCL play, it’s clear that PSG are among the favorites, if not the favorite, to win the competition again, filled with not only incredible talent but tremendous depth.
On Tuesday, 20-year-old Desire Doue led the line, scoring a brace, while 19-year-olds Warren Zaire-Emery and Senny Mayulu paced the midfield. This is a deep squad, and the experience these young players are gaining will be invaluable in the long run for their development. Teams have to fill in for injuries all the time, but few can do it at the level that Enrique’s men can.
They’re already on the right path to direct qualification for the round of 16, and they haven’t hit top gear yet. With contenders such as Liverpool and Barcelona showing defensive concerns, Real Madrid looking to find their footing under a new manager, and Napoli struggling on their return to Champions League play, it only aligns things better for PSG to win a second consecutive title. That doesn’t mean it will be an easy road with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich all performing at a high level, but you can see where Enrique’s words come from.
Last season, there was pressure on his team to deliver something that had never been done in PSG’s history, and while there’s still pressure to win things now, knowing that they can do it and having the weight lifted from their shoulders makes it easier to play. Enrique has been an excellent tactician to have his team prepared as well. Goncalo Ramos said that Harry Kane showed him how to beat Barcelona’s offside trap, and the attention to detail by this club is second to none.
With Dembele sidelined, contributions have come from everywhere, with four players scoring two goals in UCL play so far, and no player accounting for more than two goals. Six players scored their seven goals on the night, showing how unselfish this team has been under Enrique. What used to be a collection of stars who came together to chase European glory and failed became a team who will be tough to stop by anyone in their path, just like last season showed. With Dembele back, even more so.
If PSG are showing that injuries can’t stop them in their chase to repeat as European champions, no one may be able to stop them but themselves.
