Paris Saint-Germain: what's one more star?

It’s been almost two years since Luis Enrique took over Paris Saint-Germain. The iconic spanish manager, in a Barcelona style, is known for a ball retention style, having its foundations laid in the positional play concept. Luis Enrique usually prefers a 4-3-3 formation shape, but a 3-4-3 and a 3-4-2-1 were also options throughout his career.

Since his spell at PSG that Luis Enrique, aligned with the overall club project and supported not only by Nassir Al-Khelaifi, but Luis Campos as well, has been rebuilding the french side. Doing so, Paris Saint-Germain slowly drifted from a club filled with superstars to a team shaped to play proper positional play football.

On that note, now that Luis Enrique's work isn’t under the radar anymore, the narrative that PSG works better without star players has been growing. I may object, not to the entire narrative, but to the point that PSG hasn’t got any stars in their squad. Of course, Mbappé, Messi and Neymar were superstars and players that are truly one of a kind; however, it is far too disrespectful for Barcola, Dembelé and Vitinha to not be called stars. The current parisian team doesn’t have any icon, but they don’t lack quality in any part of the pitch. Actually, I can’t fathom a better left back in the world than Nuno Mendes.

I don’t believe this PSG team doesn’t have any stars, the whole squad is filled with them. What I do believe is that these are players handcrafted not only for Luis Enrique, but to play alongside as well. One of the most stonewall examples of this is the way João Neves reacted when asked how PSG would defend against Liverpool: by having the ball and keeping it- if PSG had the ball, Liverpool couldn't attack. This sums Luis Enrique’s ideas perfectly.

Paris Saint-Germain has one solid defence, not only Nuno Mendes, but Hakimi is one of the best in his position. It may go unnoticed, but Pacho did a majestic performance in Anfield and is a great center back prospect. Even if you go past all of this, you still have to deal with Donnarumma.

PSG’s midfield is maybe the best in the world: Vitinha is a clear dictator of tempos, both with and without the ball. Fabian Ruiz adds attacking versatility and João Neves is an all rounder and an incredible duel winner for someone with his physique. This portuguese duo gets even more interesting because Vitinha has all the qualities that João Neves needed for a midfield partner: since his Benfica days, it was clear that he doesn’t have the qualities to dictate attacks on his own and he relied on Kokçu to do so, however, the turkish often rushes attacks, unlike Vitinha, who adds pausa. In fact, this symbiotic relationship goes both ways: Vitinha plays fast when he wants to and plays slow when he wants to, and Neves understands this perfectly. Thus, João Neves adapts with and without the ball to Vitinha’s movements and ideas by providing a line of pass or covering ground when PSG doesn’t have the ball.

Since the beginning of the season, PSG has been betting on a dynamic, fluid and energetic attack, but like Arsenal, something was missing to achieve unstoppability. The last piece of the puzzle was Kvaratskhelia. The former Napoli star has been a key addition to the french attack, making Barcola-Dembelé-Kvaratskhelia trio a force to be reckoned. Luis Enrique doesn’t discard the need of a #9 to apply pressure on the opponent’s defence and hold the play, and so Gonçalo Ramos has found a place for him in this team too.

Having so many players that already play a key role in such a big team (Vitinha, Barcola, João Neves, Nuno Mendes) is outstanding. Currently, PSG doesn’t have any superstars, but it remains to be seen if PSG does have any future ones.

For the positive football displayed and overall understanding of their roles in the pitch, PSG is one of the most enthusiastic teams to watch for the remainder of this season, being one of the most serious contenders to win the Champions League, a title that has been slipping away for far too long.

Photos source: PSG Official Website