MANCHESTER, England (AP) — After going Consecutive appearances in the Champions LeagueParis Saint-Germain’s next goal is a three-peat.
Built on Qatari wealth and styled by Spanish perfectionists, the French team looks capable of setting all sorts of records in European club football’s biggest competition. and after that Won 4-3 in penalty shootout They face Arsenal in Saturday’s final, but there is no sign that PSG are ready to relinquish their advantage.
“Of course we will go to the market,” President Nasser Al-Khelaifi told TNT Sports as the celebrations had just begun in the center of the field at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
These words will echo ominously throughout Europe. If PSG, backed by Qatar, enters the market, it will be a big deal.
The same thing happened when we signed the biggest stars in the world. Galactico era Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi. And that remains the case today, attracting incredible young talent, sweeping everything up and building a Champions League stronghold in a way that only modern-day Real Madrid can match.
The average age of the team that started against Arsenal was 25.8 years old. Ten of the players in the starting XI were in the starting XI when they won the trophy 12 months ago.
In other words, Spanish coach Luis Enrique has built a team that looks like it will dominate for years to come.
“It’s mouth-watering,” said man of the match Vicinha. “You always want to win again. Never give up, never stop. Luis Enrique is probably to blame for that. I hope he continues to push us to win more and more.”
How to make the best even better
The best players never stand still, and Luis Enrique showed his ruthless side last year when he got rid of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and promoted back-up Matvey Safonov to replace him.
20-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery could play an even more important role next season, potentially breaking up the central trio of Fabian Ruiz, Joao Neves and Vicinha. Luis Enrique emphasized how disappointed he was that Zaire-Emery did not start in the final.
Perhaps a long-term successor to 32-year-old captain Marquinhos will be sought after, but it’s hard to see how PSG can improve on a team that completely dominated Arsenal even when they weren’t at their most fluid.
“What they can do with the ball, their individual actions, I’ve never seen this (before),” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said after the game.
And while the usually deadly Ousmane Dembélé, Juvica Kvaratschelia and Desiree Douye were held back by Arsenal’s suffocating defence, PSG also found a breakthrough when Kai Havertz’s early goal put them behind.
The constant pressure paid off, as Kvaratscheria’s dribble forced Cristian Mosquera into a reckless challenge inside the penalty area, giving away a penalty, which Dembele converted to send the match into extra time.
PSG’s attacking talent is appealing, but perhaps a more consistent backup to Dembele than Gonzalo Ramos would add depth. Bradley Barcola still has room for improvement, as evidenced by his errant touch when given a chance to score the winning goal just before regulation time.
Only the best will serve you
“We will follow the same policy. We do not need many players because it is very difficult to find suitable players to play in our team,” said coach Luis Enrique. “We already have a great team and we need players to change some positions, but we have been European champions for the last two years.”
That’s an important point. PSG are not only the best team in Europe, they are unlike any other team in Europe.
Luis Enrique’s insistence on high-intensity, high-pressure football, with electric forwards dribbling through defenses, has created a rare combination, perhaps even better than Pep Guardiola’s two-time champions Barcelona. We expanded on the possession football of Spain’s best teams with a risk-taking, attacking approach.
Perhaps this is uniquely suited for such a young team, and PSG’s move away from signing Galactico has made them industry leaders in discovering emerging talent, even if it still costs a lot of money.
Doue has won the Champions League twice at the age of 20, Joao Neves is 21 and Nuno Mendes is 23.
“We have a really hungry spirit. We are a young team and we know we are really ambitious, so we have to go again next season,” Douye said.
longevity issues
It remains to be seen how long the players will be able to withstand Luis Enrique’s demands and tight schedule.
Last year, PSG came one match away from winning the quadruple title, but ran out of steam in the final of the newly expanded Club World Cup.
Despite the advantage of the relative weakness of France’s domestic league compared to other top teams in Europe, the Champions League final was the 56th match of the season, after 65 the previous year.
Ballon d’Or winner Dembele hasn’t reached the heights he did last year. Luiz’s season has been disrupted due to injury, giving Zaire-Emery room to step up. When Luis Enrique talks about the need to add players to his team, he may be recognizing the burden on the players.
PSG has the ability to retain the best talent
PSG is not the first team to have so many young talents. Ajax have done the same thing over and over again through their famous academy. So was Mbappé’s Monaco team.
Those teams disbanded when European powerhouses came calling.
That should not be a concern for PSG, who have been owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011 and can withstand any approaches from the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. And that’s what makes this team different, giving it the potential to emulate or even surpass Madrid’s three-peat Champions League win from 2016 to 2018.
“It’s normal for big clubs to want players from PSG because they are currently at the top,” said Vicinha. “Today we can say we are the best in the world and the best in Europe. I am very happy to be playing with this great group.”
the biggest sign
Perhaps the biggest challenge will be retaining Luis Enrique, a three-time European Cup winner who joins an elite group of managers that includes Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Josep Guardiola.
He did what the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t do in Paris, taking Paris to the top of European football. His ability to stay there may depend on keeping him in the French capital.
“I would like to thank all the managers and former managers who have helped develop Paris Saint-Germain, but he is a very special person as a coach, as a person and as a person,” said Al-Khelaifi. “He’s great. He’s the best coach in the world.”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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