Luis Enrique is the boss without Mbappé: “Now I control everything.”
The striker knew that with Kylian's departure he would regain absolute control of the dressing room and has managed to fit all his pieces together in his first year without the star.
PSG is set to play in its second Champions League final. One of their biggest bets this season was not without risks, and Luis Enrique made it clear with the departure of Mbappé: “Without Kylian, we’ll be better,” the Asturian revealed. For a striker who had been the idol of the fans and the star of the club, that was saying something. But it turns out that PSG reached the Champions League final in their first year without the now Real Madrid player, but beyond that, they did so by playing the attacking style their coach was looking for.
Luis Enrique has also made a change in his second year. With Mbappé’s departure, he became the reference point, the boss, and that’s something he himself hinted at in his documentary. ” With Kylian, we had a player who ran freely in attack; now I control everything.”
Under that control, Luis Enrique, who tried to make Mbappé more of a 9, was willing to move his pieces as he pleased. “Now we’re not going to have a player who can score 40 or 50 goals, but we can all score them.” But Luis, who controls everything, missed the point that Dembélé could come close, and very close. He let Kolo Muani go to Juve and was left with just one pure 9, Gonçalo Ramos, who isn’t a starter. He put Ousmane in as a false 9, and the former Barça player is Europe’s top scorer in 2025 and could even win the Ballon d’Or.
Kvaratskhelia in January and the Doué explosion
Two other decisions by Luis Enrique have given PSG the edge they lacked last year. They also provided a healthy dose of talent. First, he opted for a youngster from Rennes, Doué, whom the manager was smitten with when the two teams met last season. The coach asked who this 18-year-old was right after the match, and in the summer, he arrived in Paris for 60 million euros. The youngster struggled to break into the starting lineup, but in 2025, he has overtaken Barcola, Kang, Lee, Zaire-Emery, and Ramos to play in the trident.
But the final touches were still pending. Kvaratskhelia arrived in January from Napoli for 70 million. He has given him more attacking power and more options beyond his character and defensive work. Along with Demblélé, the two new players have been key in defeating Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal.
But as Luis Enrique said before the second leg, PSG’s secret is that no line has stood out above the others. In the middle, Fabián Ruiz has made the final leap and, together with Vitinha, they form Luis Enrique’s engine room, and around them, the coach is finishing off molding his midfield to suit his needs. In defense, another signing, Pacho, has protected Marquinhos and has been able to take the defense out of its comfort zone. And then there’s Achraf, a free spirit. He’s a full-back, but the coach has given him a role he didn’t have, from midfield to forward. “Luis Enrique is a genius; he’s given me a level of play I didn’t have in my head,” he said before the second leg against Arsenal. Against Arsenal, he scored the 2-0, playing in attacking positions.
Method and talks
Luis Enrique has emphasized total control in his daily work with PSG. Unlike his time at Barça, where he had a ready-made team that needed to be made to work, with huge stars, here the challenge was to build it from scratch, and when it came to deciding on other Premier League offers, he understood that Paris was where he had the most autonomy to carry out what he had in mind. Furthermore, in the first meeting, the directors were convinced by the vitality, confidence, and conviction the Asturian showed in building his team.
Luis Enrique’s obsession with using so many technological resources is to explain to the players where they’re going wrong and what they need to improve. Video is very present; he’s even installed a giant screen at the training ground to watch tactical aspects of other matches with the rest of the squad. The players are also provided with individualized information about their matches via video. The coach leaves nothing to chance and also holds individual talks. If he deems it necessary, although it’s not common, he can go to dinner with one of his players if he feels the need to deepen the relationship a little more, as happened with Beraldo when he recently arrived or William Pacho.
Luis Enrique is in control and knows that the best player will play. He has all the facts and makes no distinctions. Without going any further, he was the one who decided that Dembélé would play in the second half against Arsenal when everyone else was considering him as a starter. As he revealed yesterday on Canal Plus, everyone, without distinction, has to earn it in training. “The first year, we did a great job, but it wasn’t enough. But I told them that if I didn’t develop a different mentality in training every day, I’d leave. This year, every training session has been top-notch, and the players have been exceptional.” No sooner said than done. Only the final in Munich remains to confirm it.