He forgot about Mbappé, put together a team and now he goes against Drad Martínez in the Champions

When Kylian Mbappé made the final decision to leave the Saint Germain’s parcel Real Madrid last July, a reasonable doubt survived the powerful Parisian club, which naturally assumed the expected esteem, consolidated the project and the idea of ​​the coach Luis Enrique and formed an invincible champion of Ligue 1.

Equipment is the word that defines To the new PSGin the second year under the direction of the Asturian coach, who has strengthened his style of pressure, speed and attack in this season, outside the dependence of so many years of the Parisian team around a star like Mbappéwith 256 goals and 94 assists in 308 games in seven campaigns. Or like Lionel Messi. As Neymar Junior. Or like three at the same time, even in the past.

It was not felt then, among so much investment, meanwhile in each signing market, as a block; so indispensable in a modern football so adjusted and so detailed. It was enough for national competitions. Not for the Champions Leaguethe obsession of the team of Nasser Al Khelaifi. It is the still impossible challenge, always with the feeling that adding great players did not mean a great team. Now he has it. A team.

Mbappé’s departure challenged Paris Saint Germain. He invited him to a reinvention. Luis Enrique has grouped a team, in which there are great players, without a doubt, perhaps not as stars or as shiny as the striker himself were now in Real Madrid, Messi or Neymar in his time, without conditioning the team to such incontestable names.

The investment carried out by the PSG to make Mbappé forget was onerous as always, but this time more concrete. He looked for certain pieces.

To a center as a center like JOAO NEVES. 20 years, signed to Benfica by 60 million euros After 75 duels at full speed with the first team of the club of his life, it has been an absolute success. A key piece in the midfield. He has played 41 games already this season under Luis Enrique, 34 of them as a starter. In Ligue 1, 24 of the 28 days.

To the defender Willian Pachofor which he paid 40 million euros al Eintracht Frankfurt. At 23, with 43 meetings played in its first season at the PSG, 37 from the beginning, it is an irrefatible reality in the center of the defense that the Ecuadorian international, whose market value is already 57.9 million euros, generally shares with the experience of Marquinhos, with the alternative of Lucas Beraldo as the second option.

And to an attacker: Gifted. Pure talent, formidable quality, total overflow. More substitute than headline in his first campaign in the club, in exchange for 60 million euros from Rennes At 19, it has been a perfect complement when the party required it, called to be much more protagonist than is already in the closest future.

To complete everything, already on track Ligue 1, it is pending the Champions, where it comes from conquering Anfield and going down to Liverpool: this Wednesday from 4 pm it will start the quarter -final series against the Aston Villa of Unai Emery and the Draw Martinez. To stepping harder in this tournament, in January he incorporated one of the most desired ends in Europe: Kvicha Kvaratskheliafrom Napoli by 70 million euros. Since his arrival, he has already played 16 games, with three goals and four assists.

In total, 210 million in reinforcements of a team that already had great level players. On the sides, Achraf Hakimion the right, and Nuno Mendes, on the left. Thrill, precise and necessary to understand this PSG, which counts in the midfield perhaps with the best in the world in its position today: the Portuguese midfielder Vitinha and its thousand technical resources.

The aforementioned JOAO NEVES y Fabián Ruiz They complete the center of the Luis Enrique type field, also with Warren Zaire Emery as an alternative. And, ahead, the varied options promoted by the mobility and vertigo of its attackers, faster than effective, with the doubts that arose due to the lack of punch in the initial sections of the season.

The scoring hatching of Ousmane Dembele It has been a relief for Luis Enrique and his team, fought with the goal so many times at the beginning of the year, capable of generating a considerable amount of occasions without effective result. It was his main problem at the beginning of the campaign, until last December, along with the fluctuations in the arch, where Gianluigi Donnarumma It has been confirmed as the first option. Also the most reliable in reality.

Dembele has knocked down the opposite arch with an unusual force. Their 24 goals in 2025 Among all competitions are an unequivocal demonstration of their revelation as a scorer. Add 32 goals in 39 games in this campaign. In his previous 42 meetings with the French champion, since his arrival from Barcelona, ​​he had added Only six goals.

21 of them have been in Ligue 1, in which he is also the top scorer of the PSG, followed by the thirteen so many scored by Bradley Barcolawhose irruption in the season was fantastic for the end that had belonged to Mbappé. He is 22 years old. The aforementioned Doué, the signing of Kvarathskhelia, the contribution from the bank of GONÇALO RAMOS (14 goals in 30 clashes, although just thirteen played them as a starter) and the option of Kang in Leeeither by the midfield or by the attack, they configure the number of PSG variants.

He has not missed the 27 goals of Mbappé in the last Ligue 1, supplied for the 21 of Dembele, the 13 of Barklaw and the performance of a team above the individualities, direct to the championship that he consumed this Saturday, seven days in advance. He was always the only favorite, the current champion, the rival to beat.

He has not lost a single match in this ‘Ligue 1’ (he does not suffer a league defeat since May 12, 2024, with a 1-3 with the Toulouse, And it has only fallen into four games, all in the Champions Leagueof the 46 that has played so far this season among all competitions), with 23 victories and only five draws (two 1-1 with the Reims, a 1-1 with the Nantes, a 1-1 with the Nice and a 0-0 with the Auxerre) in the National Championship.

In total, 74 of the 84 points played. An obvious superiority, which reflects it as the most scoring team (80 goals in favor) and the least thrashed (26 goals against) and that has been constant, also in its direct duels against Marseille (he thrashed him 0-3 in the first round and won it 3-1 in the second) or the Monaco, which was imposed by 2-4 and 4-1.

An incontestable champion, even with more speed and more roundness than last year, even with some defensive imbalances in some meetings, even with the lack of glue that worried him in the first measures … Even without mbappé.