Luis enrique quietly reforms the story about Paris Saint-Germain, while they are preparing for their Champions League semi-final second stage against Arsenal.
The PSG coach, whose career has already seen success in Barcelona and in the Spanish national team, has introduced a clear philosophy in the French capital, one where no one rises above the collective.
The results have told.
PSG is about to have a place in the Champions League final, with a decisive collision against Arsenal in the Parc des Princes on Wednesday after the upper hand in the Emirates Stadium last week after an impressive representation of collective discipline.
Enrique arrived at PSG last season with a simple but sturdy Mantra: “Nobody comes out.”
In a club Historical Synonym with star players – from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe – his refusal to build a side around individual talent that raised eyebrows, mainly because the team struggled in the early stages of their Champions League campaign.
“You can't understand,” he said, as an interviewer asked about his tactics during the competition phase.
A series of non -transmitting versions in the opening phase had indeed led to critics to wonder if the philosophy of Luis Enrique could succeed in a club where star power has so often overshadowed tactical cohesion.
But months later his approach seems justified. PSG has evolved into one of the most coherent and tactically disciplined sides in Europe this season.
PSG (130 goals) are the second highest scorers in the top five competitions of Europe in all competitions, behind Barcelona (160), while only Bayern Munich (67.99%) have more possession than the Luis Enrique team (67.48%).
PSG also had 30 games unbeaten in Ligue 1 this season, established a new club record in the trial and is just falling short of the general record, established by Nantes (32) in 1994-95.
Central to their revival is an emphasis on pressing as a unit and maintaining balance between attack and defense. The transformation is most clearly in midfield, once seen as a relative weakness, who now work with precision and control against a part of the elite of the continent.
The dedication of Luis Enrique to the collective has also indicated a broader cultural shift within PSG. The earlier dependence on the club on individual star row, a characteristic of the era of Qatar Sports Investments, has been replaced by a system in which the role of each player is clearly defined within a broader tactical framework.
The will of Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Messi may have delivered memorable moments in Paris, but under the stewardship of Luis Enrique the days of coordinating a team around a single superstar seem beyond.
It is remarkable that Luis Enrique last year for this evolution shaded and revealed in interviews after the game that his focus was already on building one side for the following season. That long -term view is now fruit.
Ironically, PSG can produce the next Ballon d'Or winner from this resolutely collective approach.
Ousmane Dembele, rejuvenated under Enrique and blooms in a system built on teamwork and tactical discipline, emerged as an external competition for the most coveted individual honor of football, the Ballon d'Or, a suitable paradox for a club that undergoes its quiet revolution.
Dembele, whose goal last week decided in the first stage against Arsenal, scored this period 33 times in all competitions.
With the Ligue 1 title already secured and a final of Coupe de France later this month, PSG is looking for a Treble.
Opta's Supercomputer arranges their chances of continuing to the Champions League final at 80%, and according to the model PSG are the general favorites to win the total after they have done this in 42% of the simulations.