There was nothing to sound the alarm bells for but PSG could not continue like this. Stuck in a drama around the sidelining of Kylian Mbappé and after having achieved a lackluster summer preparation (2 wins in 5 games), the capital club had opened its season with two disappointing draws against Lorient (0-0) and Toulouse (1-1). While the possession game pleased some and annoyed others, the Spaniard knew he could only achieve unanimity with wins. This is how he corrected the situation against RC Lens.
The victories against Lens and Lyon brought confidence but…
Driven by the return of Kylian Mbappé and the induction of Ousmane Dembélé into the Parisian eleven, the flock of the former FC Barcelona tactician performed more than convincingly to claim victory against their runner-up last season. (3-1). By gleaning this first success in an official match since he has been on the bench for the Ile-de-France team, Luis Enrique was able to be reinforced in his ideas and move forward with serenity. And after this precious success against the Sang et Or, the Parisians returned to the table this Sunday evening in Lyon.
Dominating, the visitors crushed their opponents with the Luis Enrique paw which is already clearly visible in the game of his team. Sure of the strength of his team, Luis Enrique said he was proud of his team’s performance in the Rhône. Nevertheless, according to the former coach of La Roja, many things still need to be improved: “it is still far from my personal requirements. I would like even more possession, I would like us to be even more aware of when we have to attack in depth or not. We have new players, I discover a different league. When we have an attack at the level of ours, we have immense potential in depth. What I would like is even more calm and control in order to choose the right moment to attack in depth.»
Same story from the side of Captain Marquinhos who revealed behind the scenes of the Enrique method. “We are not yet at the maximum. We still have a lot of progress to make. The coach is very demanding, very hard on us. We must celebrate this victory. It’s not easy to win here. It’s a big shock. It’s the start of the season, we still have room to improve. The coach has a philosophy that is being put in place: want the ball, have possession. When we don’t have him, he wants a more aggressive team. When we have the ball there is pleasure, with the quality of this squad, we understand each other more and more, the philosophy, the way of attacking and defending. We are on the right path.»
An XXL recruitment already in place and which promises
Wishing for more depth, Enrique should be satiated in the coming months following the arrivals of Bradley Barcola, whom he praised after his good comeback this Sunday evening, Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani. XXL recruits who show how well the recruitment unit has worked this summer. The arrivals of Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez having solidified the Parisian rearguard, Manuel Ugarte delights in front of the defense and asserts himself as the hinge expected for years by Paris Saint-Germain. The arrivals of Marco Asensio, who has been silencing his detractors for a few games, and Lee Kang-In have also made it possible to expand an offensive sector now furnished.
While Gonçalo Ramos still seems to be slightly below compared to his new teammates, all the Parisian recruits already seem in tune with a much more coherent collective than that of last season. By shedding Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi and Neymar, the keys to the Parisian truck have returned to a Kylian Mbappé who looks fulfilled and who responds present on the ground. While all these beautiful people are orchestrated by Luis Enrique, PSG seem to be much more dangerous than last season. And if ‘Lucho”s successful debut continues, maybe Paris can afford to dream bigger this season. But you have to be careful. Last year, Christophe Galtier’s PSG also impressed at the start of the season before sinking.
