Champions League news: Have Paris Saint-Germain finally found the winning formula?
Since the Qatari takeover in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain have balanced superstar-filled squads with impressively consistent Champions League failure, but current manager Luis Enrique seems to have found a way to craft the club into an effective team.
Now, after so much money and heartbreak, PSG boast a potential winning formula based on teamwork rather than individual quality.
A showpiece clash with an impressive Inter Milan side in Munich awaits at the end of the month, and the result could change everything for the Parisians and their highly ambitious owners.
Sports News Blitz writer Gabriel Mills takes a look at PSG’s chances in the final.
Continental glory elusive despite domestic dominance
PSG have become synonymous with two things over the past decade: flashy superstar signings that cost a fortune and failure in the Champions League.
Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ángel Di María, Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappé, Marco Verrati, Thiago Silva – the list of truly world-class players to have played for the Parisians in recent times could fill this page, but having the best players does not always correlate to success at the highest level.
Along with Arsenal and Atlético Madrid, PSG are the biggest club to never achieve European success in this competition, which almost seems impossible when you think of their domestic domination in Ligue 1.
Since the 2012-13 season, PSG have won the league a ridiculous 11 times out of 13, overtaking both Marseille and Saint-Étienne to sit atop the all-time Ligue 1 leaderboard with 13 titles.
In that respect, this season has simply been more of the same, with the Parisians cruising to yet another title.
However, the players carrying it out feel like a real team for a change and that bodes well for the club’s second-ever Champions League final appearance.
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Building a winning team, finally
Of course, there are still superstars in the team.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is one of them and a key reason Arsenal were kept at bay in the first half of the semi-final second leg.
Marquinhos, now the record-holder for most appearances in a PSG shirt, is another and has been a consistent defensive rock next to one of the highest rated full-backs in world football in Achraf Hakimi.
Up top, Ousmane Dembélé is finally hitting the form he was always meant to hit after a disastrous six years in Barcelona plagued by injuries.
Having Khvicha Kvaratskhelia alongside youngster Désiré Doué (and Bradley Barcola) supporting Dembélé in attack means that flair and skill are rife within PSG’s forward line.
Indeed, the front three have combined for 69 goals and 46 assists this season, even though Kvaratskhelia only joined in January.
All four are fantastic players within their own right, but it is the link-up play and interchangeability – not to mention the willingness to track back – that is refreshing for PSG fans.
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Midfield holds the key to Champions League dream
No great team wins the Champions League without a smoothly running midfield engine, and PSG have found the perfect three that compliment each other.
Vitinha has taken the idea of an ‘all-round midfielder’ to new heights this term, with the Portugal international’s high-pressing energy, superb passing range, and silky close-control dribbling making him nearly impossible to tackle.
Next to Vitinha is another Portuguese with a tenacious, ball-winning game: João Neves.
He leads PSG for tackles this season while also offering a calm and reliable presence on the ball – PSG fans are right to wax lyrical about him at just 20 years of age.
Finishing the trio is Spaniard Fabián Ruiz, who adds some much-needed height and physicality to his diminutive colleagues.
Despite already being a big signing for both Napoli and PSG, Ruiz truly made his name as a top midfielder during Spain’s title-winning run at Euro 2024, where some regarded him as the player of the tournament.
His versatility allows him to be variously effective as a holding, box-to-box, or attacking midfielder, which is doubly valuable to PSG as he is also the most senior and experienced first-choice midfielder at 29.
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Munich showpiece the beginning of something special
Saturday, May 31 is the date of the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
PSG will, by all accounts, be desperate to lift their first Champions League trophy and cement themselves as a real force in the European game alongside Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich.
However, even if they are pipped to the title by Inter Milan, this campaign feels like a turning point for the club.
It is now a well-oiled, hard-working, and disciplined side that should go on to compete for years to come.
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