of champions leagueThe most important continental trophy in European club football is up for grabs in the final in Budapest on Saturday. It doesn’t end there for Paris Saint-Germain and Luis Enrique.
Ahead of the match against Arsenal defending champion And the Spanish coach who achieved consecutive championships put his name on the line, best team of this era.
“I came to the club thinking, ‘My aim is to make history,’ and we certainly made history,” Luis Enrique said. “We want to keep writing the story because we believe there is more to accomplish.”
PSG is already in the news when it comes to judging the best team to win the title in the Champions League era. But sometimes you need the cold hard facts to drive home the point.
Consecutive titles are rare.
With victory at the Puskas Arena, PSG become only the second team to retain the trophy since 1992, when the old European Cup was renamed the Champions League.
That hasn’t happened on teams that have been considered generational greats for years.
Josep Guardiola’s Barcelona have won two games in three years. AC Milan and Juventus each reached three consecutive finals in the 1990s, but each won only once. Ajax and Manchester United defended their titles until the final, but faltered at the final hurdle.
Real Madrid, who have won more European titles than any other club, finally bucked the trend and won three in a row from 2016 to 2018. What was unthinkable before or since will suddenly look like a very realistic goal for PSG with a win on Saturday.
Luis Enrique will join Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane in winning the Champions League three times. His motivations are not based on personal admiration.
PSG’s breakthrough
Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona, has produced a PSG team that has become a benchmark in Europe over the past two seasons. He has the attacking flair, energy and tenacity to move the sport in a new direction. A team willing to play at the risk of being exposed defensively for the ultimate reward.
PSG seem unstoppable even at the best of times. Last year’s results were 5-0 victory over Inter Milan In the final, they showed the most overwhelming strength in the history of the tournament.
And the average age of the team is under 24 years old, which could give them an edge for years to come.
Desire Due, the hero who scored two goals in last year’s final, is only 20 years old. Tireless midfielder João Neves is 21 years old.
Madrid’s highest position
That’s clear when you look at PSG’s performance. Victory over Bayern Munich 5-4 In the semi-finals, this is a special team, but they need the title to confirm their status as the strongest team.
For many, Guardiola’s Barcelona, which won in 2009 and 2011 with Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, is the benchmark for the modern era.
For some, the Barcelona team led by Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez and won the title by Luis Enrique in 2015 was better.
Statistically, no player can match Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid team, which featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who won three consecutive league titles. In five years, Madrid were crowned European champions four times.
Overall, PSG won the Champions League for the first time last year and have a long way to go to get closer to Madrid’s 15 titles. But you can stake a claim to being the best of its time.
The end of Galacticos
PSG have certainly taken their time to get to this point. Buoyed by Qatari wealth, they spent billions of dollars signing some of the world’s best players, including Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in a bid to conquer Europe.
PSG reached its peak when the focus shifted to a more team-based model, with superstars acquired at still exorbitant costs.
Galacticos Messi, Neymar and finally Mbappé were sent off. Due, João Neves and Hviča Kvaratschelia entered. Ousmane Dembele is a player who failed to live up to expectations at Barcelona, but he has re-emerged in Paris as the talisman of an incredibly talented but inexperienced group.
In the semi-finals of Luis Enrique’s first season as coach, last year’s victory and a chance to win back-to-back titles this season continued.
“I think there was more pressure last season because everyone was like, ‘This is it! We can’t lose this time!'” Luis Enrique said. “There is pressure this time, because I believe we deserve it.”
Arsenal’s aim
While PSG are aiming for history, Arsenal are aiming to pull off an upset and win their first Champions League title.
of premier league champion They won all the league matches in the European tournament and advanced to the finals.
Mikel Arteta’s side reached the final after losing to PSG in the semi-finals last year.
“These are two teams that are exceptional in their ability, adaptability and intensity of play,” said Arteta. “You have to be the best version of yourself to win.”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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