PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is on the verge of winning the title again, but at least this time they had a rival for most of the season.
PSG won the French league for the fifth time in a row and a record-extending 14th time. Defeat the closest chaser lens 2-0 on wednesday.
Finally, the resistance of the lens came to an end. maintained its uniqueness Until the penultimate round, despite having a much smaller team and budget than PSG, one of the world’s leading teams. most valuable club.
“This is the first time in my three seasons here that there is a real rivalry,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique, praising Reims and coach Pierre Sarge. “It gave us motivation and they showed their level.”
Last season PSG closes out the title and 6 games left And their only two losses in league play that season came after the title was decided. PSG finished 19 points behind second-place Marseille, scoring an astonishing 92 goals.
This time it wasn’t so easy.
PSG have lost five league games so far and are nine points behind the former champions. lens The final round will be played on Sunday.
Sage’s much smaller squad suffered from fatigue and the team, however motivated, could not realistically sustain this challenge for 34 games. It was PSG’s fifth consecutive league win since Lille won in 2021.
Here we take a closer look at how we won.
share your goals
PSG relied heavily on the scoring of Ousmane Dembele, who scored 21 league goals last season.
This season, none of PSG’s players are close to the top of the goalscoring charts, and their goals have been scattered.
with Dembele winger bradley barcola Juviča Kvaracjelía (eight goals), Desiree Due (seven goals) and Gonzalo Ramos (six goals) each contributed in important moments, scoring 10 points.
Influence of Kvaratskheria
In the coming years, Kvaratschelia may finally come to be considered the best player in the club’s history. Georgia winger An inspiration for PSG All seasons.
Because not only does he offer incredible speed, finishing and dribbling from the left, his tireless running and relentless chasing backs set him apart as a great defender, even though he can play with almost equal efficiency on the right.
No wonder Luis Enrique was happy to sign him from Naples in January last year.a previous bid failed.
Although he paid a hefty transfer fee of 70 million euros ($72 million at the time), it’s starting to look like a bargain.
ruthless choice
Luis Enrique showed a ruthless attack by dropping goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who was signed in the summer. Successor to Gianluigi Donnarumma — and in his place Matvey Safonovmade several saves against Lens on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique has sent a clear message to his players that status and reputation are no guarantees.
He did the same thing last season. dropped Dembele An important Champions League game in terms of discipline, and the previous season in which he appeared. sold neymar And Marco Verratti to rebuild the team in his own way.
In an era of increasing player power, Luis Enrique has shown that his authority cannot be eroded. He also maintained a close bond with the fans, always praising them and even singing one of the club’s anthems with them after PSG’s victory over Bayern Munich. champions league semi-final.
He also managed his players’ fatigue levels well in the season that began in 2019. repeated injuries.
In Ligue 1, they regularly rested captains Marquinhos and Dembele, but kept midfielders Vicinha and Warren Zaire-Emery almost full-time.
“We always think individually about what is best for each player. If they play less or more, it doesn’t mean they are weaker or stronger, it just means that their needs are different,” Luis Enrique explained. “My aim is always to get three points, but it is also important to protect the health of our players.”
He was also generous in a rare defeat, one in which Sage won the French League Manager of the Year award.
“He deserves this trophy,” Luis Enrique said. “Because what he did with the lens was incredible.”
fresh players
PSG’s bid for a second successive Champions League title was given a boost after Ligue 1 postponed the two matches between the Champions League games – the last-16 match against Chelsea and the quarter-final against Liverpool.
While this helped PSG’s cause, it certainly did not sit well with the neutrals. Lens’ chances didn’t work out About winning the title.
PSG’s players looked fresh against Liverpool, who did not have the advantage of having their Premier League match postponed.
PSG also played fewer games than usual after the end of the league. lost in the French Cup An early win over city rivals Paris FC.
However, coach Luis Enrique’s smart substitutions paid off, with players coming off the bench scoring 28 goals.
He also used smart turnovers when necessary to help injured players like Fabian Ruiz and Dembele recover.
Dembele was appointed again Ligue 1’s best player Despite starting just nine games before the game against Reims, he is peaking at just the right time for the Champions League final.
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