“They say to themselves that perhaps with young people…”: PSG must manage the post-Mbappé era, and will host Montpellier this Friday

Bradley Barcola fait partie des nouveaux leaders offensifs du Paris Saint-Germain. EPA – MOHAMMED BADRA

Paris has not replaced Mbappé, who left for Real Madrid, and is counting on Luis Enrique's team. First test at the Parc, Friday, against Montpellier (9 p.m.).

Paris shines with a thousand games in this summer of eternity. It rekindles the flame of its prestige and its fame through that of the Olympic Games, where it has mixed its timeless heritage with the immediacy of sport.

While the City of Lights is becoming itself again, PSG is walking in the shadows. The Parisian club no longer wants to bet on stars, who collide their egos and ruin any European adventure from within beyond expensive transfers.

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At the time when Kylian Mbappé, who concentrated all the powers last year, took the royal road to Madrid, PSG, of Nasser al-Khelaïfi and Qatar, did not raise the stakes. He didn't replace Mbappé with a substitute, who may not exist on the market, but he changed his strategy.

Less ego and a Lego to build for Luis Enrique, the Spanish coach.
Less bling-bling around the Champs-Élysées and more lighting on the green square, that of the Parc des Princes.

“It is getting closer to a model like Bayern Munich”

“There will be a before and after. If it does not recruit a star before the end of the transfer window, Paris is beginning a shift towards a new project under the Qatari era. With a collection of very good players instead of a dominant star, it is closer to a model like Bayern Munich", observes Benjamin Stambouli, the former PSG player (2015-2016), trained in Montpellier.

"For Paris, it is not a question of means, but it is a choice not to recruit a star. A striking choice focused on the sporting project. When you have a lot of stars, you can get lost in the marketing and the glitz", he continues.
The Qataris, who have been in charge of PSG since 2011, have acknowledged their limits after thirteen seasons of brooding in the spring, sometimes even taking the thunder before even the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the supreme objective.

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"Paris never reached the objective. He made star, more star, more star and he was almost happy when he was in the quarter finals of the European Cup. When they have one or more stars, they don't win. So, after thirteen years of paying fortunes and only being champion of France, they say to themselves that maybe with young people…", notes an observer of Parisian life.

In Paris, irony is never far from the crossroads. While Mbappé seeks to blend into the Real collective, under the hand of Ancelotti, the first coach chosen by the Qataris, PSG increases its confidence in the Spaniard Luis Enrique. And, perhaps, is inspired by the Madrid model.

“When Real lost Ronaldo, then Benzema, everyone thought it was lost, with players like Vinicius or Rodrygo, who are good without being extra-planetary. And Valverde, who was a good player, has become a great player”, explains the same observer.

Confidence in Luis Enrique

If the stars have put PSG on the European football map until the 2022 World Cup, can the French champion do better in Europe through the strength of a collective? ? Luis Enrique appears more than ever to be the providential man to assume the change and carry the umbrella in case of a false route.

“When you hand the keys to the truck to a coach of this caliber, you trust him. He has something in mind, he can do it without a star and have a successful season,” remarks Benjamin Stambouli. “I was surprised that we let one of the best in the world go, but not that we entrust the team to this coach. Luis Enrique is used to, with Spain for example, building a collective without a star but with a team that is hard to play against”, adds Montpellier midfielder Joris Chotard.