Luis Enrique: Transforming the Mentality at Paris Saint-Germain

When Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) took over French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), they inherited an institution in crisis, relegation-threatened and without any tangible direction. 

As QSI continued investing, the team grew to be France’s undisputed leader. This was a different story in Europe. PSG seemed to crash in the Champions League every year, no matter the coach or the opponent. 

However, the Luis Campos (Sporting Director) and Luis Enrique (head coach) duo seem to have brought a new era to Paris.

Building a Team, Not Just Collecting Stars

There is a difference between eleven good players and a good team. Until recently, QSI looked to purchase trending stars and leave the coach by himself to figure out how to build his squad. However, the tools to build a submarine without the screws to hold it together would not make a sturdy or reliable machine. 

This is the issue PSG has faced in previous years, no matter if it was Unai Emery, Mauricio Pochettino, or Thomas Tuchel. Ultimately. As good as they were in Ligue 1, they struggled to impress in Europe.

To see a difference between the pre-Campos era and his current tenure, one only needs to look at the club’s signings. Countless stars made their way through PSG – Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar Jr. 

Although they are undeniably great players, they were not necessarily the best fit. Messi’s head was everywhere but the Parisian capital, as all he could think about was Argentina and the World Cup. To compare, Paris Saint-Germain accepted loaning out Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons, knowing they might never play for the Parisian jersey again. 

This was unthinkable in the pre-Campos era when PSG hoarded Paris’ talent. It often led to personal disputes while stars were left on the bench, and tensions were not uncommon between players on the pitch. 

Nowadays, it’s clear that Paris Saint-Germain don’t only consider the player but the person. Their cultures and work ethics must share common features with the club. In previous years, this was not considered before hiring top-level players. Only talent was sought after.

Looking at PSG’s current squad, the strategy’s shift is evident. Management are no longer only on the hunt for the youngest, most valuable talent on the transfer market. Paris have played the likes of Désiré Doué, Vitinha, and Khvicha Kvartatskhelia. 

Luis Enrique got rid of Kolo-Muani, who left on loan for Juventus. Similarly to Xavi Simons, loan destinations are not somewhere for loanees to rot and eternally leave the club. Both players have excelled in their destination club, demonstrating that Campos puts in the work before sending players away. 

Strategic Recruitment and Player Development

PSG’s talent pool cannot be denied, but this is what makes them great. They’re a team full of flair, unafraid to play a risky brand of football. They’re confident enough not to linger on their weaknesses and instead focus on their strengths. This reflects an improvement in Enrique’s own personality as a manager. 

When he coached the Spanish national team, Luis struggled to play an adventurous brand of football, leading him to stick to an approach based on midfield progress. If they could not find a solution, all his team did was repeat what didn’t work in the first place. 

It’s likely that Enrique learned from this experience, did a 180° and shifted towards the other extreme. 

Since the MSN, he’s never coached a more offensive-oriented team. PSG have always struggled to recruit good defenders at the back, which makes Enrique’s approach more sensible.

The side are aware they’ll be shredded open on the counter, embracing the risk to the fullest extent. However, they’re not scared because they know any counter becomes their own, which is where their strengths begin. 

There is not much other teams can do about this because of PSG’s endless talent pool. If anything, rival clubs have started to defend in a low block as a form of respect to Enrique’s current project. 

Embracing Risk and Playing to Strengths

In the past, the team mostly fielded athletic players who were pacey but unable to make an impact on the ball. 

PSG are now full of ‘ballers’ – players who are technically skilled and can get their way around any compact defense. They still have fast players like Hakimi, leading to a hybrid approach. This Spanish culture, which understands that technical level will always be one of the key components of any player, is now felt with Campos and Enrique at the helm. 

It took a while to see the shift. Most of the media was at war with Luis, similar to where he had been before the last few months. Famously, he once told a journalist there was a reason he was not a, but Enrique was. 

This type of confidence, in front of a media war, helps the coach establish his authority. Going all-in, instead of being scared about one’s insecurity, led PSG to more confidence. This is what the club needed to embrace risk and get rid of insecurities.