PSG head coach Luis Enrique is aiming to win the Champions League for the second time as a manager Paris St-Germain's journey to the brink of glory in the Champions League final started when the final giant symbol of the club's so-called "bling bling" era was swept away. Kylian Mbappe's decision to join Real Madrid last summer saw the only remaining member of the superstar attacking trio, which included Neymar and Lionel Messi, leave Paris, clearing the way for PSG's switch of strategy under coach Luis Enrique. Enrique, described by those within PSG as "a footballing architect", seized his chance, convincing club president Nasser al-Khelaifi and football advisor Luis Campos that he could build a younger, better, more cohesive side in the post-Mbappe age. And so it has proved, as now only a formidable Inter Milan team stand between this thrilling young PSG side and the crown they crave most, the Champions League. PSG, fuelled by brilliant young talents such as 19-year-old Desire Doue and Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and inspired by Enrique, who has known such tragedy and triumph in his life, have become a genuine Champions League feel-good story on the pitch. Can they now provide a happy ending? Desire Doue has been one of PSG's star performers in the Champions League Luis Enrique walks barefoot on the grass of Campus PSG, the club's training ground 25 minutes away from their Parc des Princes home, every morning as part of his devotion to "earthing", believing it brings him closer to nature and helps fight off allergies. If the 55-year-old Asturian can bring the Champions League to Paris for the first time, PSG's fanatical ultras will be believe he can also walk on water. Enrique's appointment in July 2023 was a clear signal that PSG were moving away from the superstar culture, a dramatic change of direction which appealed to a coach bolted on to the team ethic. French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Sport: "They wanted someone to build something for the future, with patience. He was the best candidate. "The considered people of the calibre of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. These guys are winners but they win now. They don't really build anything. Luis Enrique fitted what PSG wanted." Former Brazil midfielder Rai, who was a member of the only PSG team to win a European trophy in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, is also an Enrique admirer. He told BBC Sport: "Nowadays, for a team to be considered complete and with a good chance of winning major titles, they need not only talent, but 100% commitment from all players, at all times of the game, whether defending or attacking, with or without the ball. "What is most impressive about Luis Enrique's management is the fact that he achieved this in such a short time, and especially with such young players. This shows that his tactical scheme was well understood, that the players believe in him, and that his system is very effective." Away from the pitch, the coach also demanded a level of control that had escaped predecessors such as Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier. "Luis Enrique is the leader of the club," said Laurens. "For a long time it was run by the superstars. If they didn't want to do something they wouldn't do it. They would go straight to the president. It undermined the coach - not any more." Mauricio Pochettino, pictured with Kylian Mbappe, was one of several coaches who struggled to impose his will on PSG's superstar-filled dressing room Enrique's authority is absolute when it comes to playing matters at PSG. Pierre-Etienne Minonzio, based in Paris with influential sports paper L'Equipe, told BBC Sport: "People at PSG understood there had been a problem of authority in the last few years. "Galtier was a French manager, and a good one, but lacked the experience to impose his views. He was a very good manager, but not strong enough to face Mbappe and say things to him. "It was the same with Mauricio Pochettino. It was always said his obsession was to have peace in the dressing room. He never took any decisions that went against Messi and Mbappe, "Enrique was not having that. He told PSG clearly 'If I am the boss and I will be the boss'. He's now the guy who embodies the whole club, the whole team." Enrique is obsessive about PSG and his own self-discipline down to the finest details, with his watch even alerting him if he has not carried out any stretching or movement for 30 minutes. In 2007, he successfully took on the Frankfurt Ironman challenge - a 2.4-mile swim, a 118-mile cycle and a full marathon. In 2008, he ran the gruelling Marathon de Sables, a 155-mile race staged over six days in the Sahara desert. He is, however, someone with true perspective after losing his nine-year-old daughter Xana to a rare form of bone cancer in 2019. Enrique has said: "Her body is gone, but she hasn't died. She's still with us. "Physically, she may not be here, but spiritually she is. Because every day we talk about her, we laugh, and we remember because I think Xana still sees us." It enables him to reflect on the realities of football, once saying: "I'm not afraid of the worst in football If they sack me, no problem. The next day, I'll go for a cycling trip." Should Enrique win his second Champions League, following a triumph with Barcelona in 2015, it will be a moment of history and high emotion in Munich. Mbappe's departure was PSG's clear the air moment. The French superstar may have added goals and a touch of genius, but the landscape shifted at Parc des Princes once he left. Enrique saw it as the opportunity to exert complete control on how PSG played, with brilliant, but ultimately individualistic, Mbappe gone. This control was over a new "team" - in the literal sense of the word - with Enrique focusing on young talent he could mould rather than established, often ego-driven, figures. Enrique believed it might take more than this season to challenge for the biggest prize, namely the Champions League, and a slow start to the campaign backed this view. He may regard reaching the Champions League final as being ahead of schedule. PSG's new era truly began when Premier League champions Manchester City were thrashed 4-2 on a rain-lashed night in Paris and the new brigade like Doue and Bradley Barcola came to prominence. Ousmane Dembele, restored from his Barcelona struggles, delivered a stunning cameo as substitute. And so it went on, as this trio helped PSG take a wrecking ball to the Premier League's elite, Liverpool, Aston Villa and then Arsenal beaten in the knockout stage to reach Munich. To add to their growing power, Kvaratskhelia arrived from Napoli in January for 70m euros (£59m) plus add-ons to complete the jigsaw. Former Scotland winger and BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin is a long-time Kvaratskhelia fan saying: "He has got everything I want from a winger, but a bit more as well. "He always wants to take players on. He wants to attack players. He has lots of tricks and flicks. He does unusual things and he breaks lines. Never ever fearful, always positive and wants to entertain. "You need two people to mark him. If he doesn't go by players, he draws players towards him, and then he slips others in because he has developed the space." Teenager Desire Doue is a shining symbol of PSG's new strategy of signing young stars with potential to grow Doue had a slow start but, along with Barcola and Dembele, was the beneficiary of Enrique's one-on-one attention, the coach utterly invested in the young talent that would decorate his new team. Rai said: "What impresses me most about them [PSG's young forwards] is that they combine technical quality, tactical obedience and physical intensity with personality. All of them have an impressive ability to dribble and improvise." And there is no preferential treatment. All are equal in Enrique's eyes. Dembele was dropped before the Champions League game at Arsenal in October after Enrique expressed dissatisfaction with his work-rate in a Ligue 1 game against Rennes. Dembele returned transformed and freshly motivated, leading PSG's run to the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France - and now with the Champions League in their sights. Measured by average age, PSG are the youngest side to have progressed beyond the play-off round in the Champions League this season at 24 years 262 days. And their intense, high-pressing style is illustrated by the fact they rank first in the tournament this season for shot-ending high turnovers (37). They frequently turn high-presses into attacking opportunities. This will be a final of youth against experience, with the average age of Inter Milan's starting 11 in the Champions League this season 30 years and 19 days - the oldest among all 36 teams involved in the tournament. PSG will hope Enqrique's potent blend of youthful brilliance and more experienced figures such as captain Marquinhos and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has had a superb Champions League campaign, will finally bring trophy back to Paris. The famous Virage Auteuil, where PSG's ultras gather at one end of Parc des Princes, will be transported to Munich for one night only for this final. To watch PSG cut a swathe through the Premier League's best on the way to Munich was to witness the dial of expectation turned up with every game in a kaleidoscope of colour and a wall of sound. PSG's followers were denied the chance to attend the club's only previous Champions League final, when they lost 1-0 behind closed doors to Bayern Munich at Lisbon's Stadium Of Light during the Covid pandemic. So a special welcome will await PSG's players of the sort that has become familiar at Parc des Princes. PSG's famous "Ultras" will be out in force in Munich for the Champions League Final against Inter Milan "Beaten By The Waves, Paris Never Sunk" read the tifo stretching along one end of Virage Auteuil before they beat Manchester City, while "55 years of memory behind you to write history" was the message before Arsenal were beaten in the semi-final second leg in Paris. There will, no doubt, be fresh motivational messages for PSG's players on Saturday night. In the previous 10 seasons, PSG have reached two semi-finals, two quarter-finals, the last 16 five times, and that one final under Tuchel. PSG's colourful fans have been flooding into Munich for the biggest night in their history, anticipation heavy in the air that Luis Enrique's emerging side can at last cross that elusive final frontier.
'A footballing architect' - how Enrique led PSG to brink of glory
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Luis Enrique's PSG Poised for Champions League Glory Against Inter Milan"
Bbc News
7.0
TruthLens AI Summary
Luis Enrique, the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), is on the verge of achieving his second Champions League title as a manager, with PSG set to face Inter Milan in the final. The team's transformation began with Kylian Mbappe's departure to Real Madrid, marking the end of the club's previous era dominated by superstars like Neymar and Lionel Messi. This shift allowed Enrique to implement a new strategy focusing on building a younger, cohesive team. Described as 'a footballing architect,' Enrique has successfully cultivated young talents such as 19-year-old Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, steering PSG towards becoming a formidable competitor in the Champions League. The team's journey has been marked by impressive performances, including a decisive win against Manchester City, which has generated a wave of optimism among fans eager for a historic victory in Munich.
Enrique's management style emphasizes discipline and authority, qualities that had previously been lacking under his predecessors. He commands respect and has created a team dynamic where every player is held accountable, regardless of their status. This approach has fostered a sense of unity among the squad, enabling them to display tactical intelligence and physical intensity on the field. With an average age of just over 24, PSG boasts the youngest squad among this season's Champions League participants, contrasting sharply with Inter Milan's more experienced lineup. The enthusiasm of PSG's dedicated supporters, who have traveled to Munich to witness this pivotal match, adds to the atmosphere as they hope to see their team finally lift the elusive Champions League trophy. Enrique's vision and the team's youthful exuberance could mark the beginning of a new era of success for PSG, making the final not just a game, but a potential turning point in the club's history.
TruthLens AI Analysis
The article provides an insightful look into Luis Enrique's transformative role at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as they aim for Champions League glory. It highlights the departure of Kylian Mbappe as a pivotal moment that allowed Enrique to reshape the team's identity. The narrative emphasizes a shift from a reliance on star players to building a more cohesive and youthful squad, reflecting a broader change in PSG's philosophy.
Intent Behind the Article
This piece appears to aim at celebrating Enrique's coaching prowess while promoting an optimistic narrative around PSG's future. By framing Enrique as a "footballing architect," the article seeks to foster a sense of hope and enthusiasm among fans, particularly in the context of a potential Champions League victory.
Public Perception and Manipulation
The article is designed to cultivate a positive public perception of both Enrique and PSG. It focuses on the success of younger players and the team's collaborative ethos, which could be interpreted as an attempt to divert attention from the previous era dominated by superstar culture. There is a subtle implication that this new direction is not just beneficial on the pitch, but also represents a moral or ethical high ground compared to the past.
Hidden Aspects
While the article paints an optimistic picture, it may downplay the challenges PSG faced during the transition, such as potential unrest among fans who miss the star power of players like Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi. This omission suggests a deliberate focus on the positive narrative at the expense of acknowledging potential dissent or criticism.
Reliability of Information
The article seems reliable in terms of factual content related to the club's current strategy and Enrique's background. However, the upbeat tone and selective emphasis on positive developments could indicate a level of bias, making it partially manipulative. The manipulation rate can be categorized as moderate; it relies on emotional appeal and selective storytelling without overtly distorting the facts.
Connection with Other News
In the broader context of sports journalism, this article aligns with a trend of focusing on managerial changes and team dynamics post-major player transfers. This could be seen as a response to the ongoing narrative in football regarding the sustainability of success through collective efforts rather than individual brilliance.
Impact on Society and Economy
The success of PSG in the Champions League could have significant implications for the club’s financial status, potentially increasing ticket sales, merchandise, and sponsorship deals. A successful campaign could positively influence the broader economy surrounding football, including tourism and hospitality in Paris, especially if the team attracts international attention.
Target Audience
This article is likely to resonate with football fans who favor team-oriented play over individual star power. It appeals to younger audiences who admire fresh talent and a revitalized approach to football, while also aiming to engage long-time PSG supporters who may be hopeful for a new chapter in the club's history.
Market Impact
Should PSG achieve Champions League success, it could have a favorable impact on their stock valuation and overall financial health. Investors may see the club as a more attractive entity, particularly in light of its potential to generate new revenue streams through enhanced visibility and success.
Geopolitical Context
While the article primarily focuses on sports, the broader implications of PSG's success can reflect on France's cultural identity and its position in the global sports arena. The club's performance can also serve as a unifying factor for French citizens, especially during international competitions.
Use of AI in Writing
It’s possible that AI tools were utilized in crafting the article, particularly in structuring the narrative and analyzing performance metrics. The storytelling style may reflect algorithms designed to enhance engagement through emotional resonance and narrative techniques.
Conclusion
Overall, while the article presents a largely optimistic view of PSG's direction under Luis Enrique, it selectively highlights positive aspects of the team's transformation while potentially underplaying the challenges they face. The reliability is moderate, leaning towards an uplifting narrative that aims to boost public sentiment.