French football and PSG owe a debt of gratitude to Luis Enrique. The PSG head coach is determined to build a collective style of play that does not rely on any individual and to promote the development of young players.
When he arrived at Parc des Princes in the summer of 2023, Lucho boldly declared that there are no stars at PSG, but rather the star is the entire team. In his first season, the Spanish coach partially demonstrated this philosophy as PSG’s scoring no longer depended heavily on Kylian Mbappe, who was expected to leave (and in fact joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024). However, this was not yet fully evident.
This season, everything has become clearer. PSG plays a direct style with attacking strength coming from all areas. The team has had 10 different players scoring, from defenders to midfielders and forwards. PSG has scored 25 goals in 8 Ligue 1 matches, surpassing second-placed Marseille by 4 goals and achieving an average of over 3 goals per match.
The collective play that Lucho wants to emphasize is the diverse contributions of the players. He has used 27 players in 8 Ligue 1 matches, which is unprecedented for a PSG coach in terms of rotation. In the match against Strasbourg, Lucho left three experienced players Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, and Ousmane Dembele on the bench, opting instead for a lineup of younger players with an average age under 23, including the impressive debut of 18-year-old Titi Senna Mayulu.
In the starting lineup, 5 out of 11 players were under 20, including Beraldo, Neves, Mayulu, Doue, and Zaire-Emery, with two others on the bench (Zague and Mbaye). Lucho opens the door for them to learn and grow, which is the best way to fulfill his “anti-star” strategy.
So, what is Lucho’s goal? After the match against Strasbourg, Lucho emphasized that his aim is to develop the team. To achieve this, he needs to trust all the players at his disposal. “My goal is to develop the team. Previously, it relied on individual players, but that is no longer the case. There are many players who can score, but I don’t care who scores or assists. What matters to me is that everyone participates in both attacking and defending,” Lucho stressed.
Therefore, Lucho actively places his trust in young players, willing to give them opportunities to play, even if they make mistakes. “We must face a very young team in Ligue 1. We embrace this philosophy, where we have young talents who can develop. There must be challenging matches for these young players to grow, and I believe they must feel that we trust them and allow them to play in such matches. I think that’s what we’ve demonstrated since last season,” Lucho conveyed to his players.