Johan Cruyff, a man Paris St-Germain boss Luis Enrique deeply admires, used to say the hardest thing in football is winning after winning. This season has been designed by Luis Enrique at PSG with that conundrum in mind. The back-to-back European champions could become only the second team to win three consecutive Champions Leagues this season.
They are also aiming for a third successive league triumph. They arrive at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday sixth in Ligue 1, with just three wins, two draws and one defeat. Nobody in Paris is panicking, though.
Luis Enrique's side made a similarly slow start last season, but the coach was confident the results would come. "Do you want to bet against us?" he said recently. Luis Enrique recently signed a contract until 2030, and so have a number of players central to his plan.
The big danger is that a group who have won everything will believe they can relax without anyone noticing. Much of what he has done so far is about preventing exactly that. Can PSG do a three-peat and win six trophies this season?
When the club announced his new contract, they also confirmed new deals for Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Willian Pacho, Lucas Beraldo and Senny Mayulu, sending a clear message to the dressing room that this is still a long-term project. There has been remarkably little change in the technical staff since Luis Enrique arrived at PSG in 2023. Assistant Joaquin Valdes has been alongside Luis Enrique since their Barcelona B days, and he is the one who talks to the players on a personal level.
He also helps keep his boss grounded when Luis Enrique's mind drifts too far away, and you can see him in the background in every news conference. Rafel Pol, who handles strategy and acts as second in command, is another constant presence. Very little of the way they train on and off the pitch has altered during Luis Enrique's three years at the club.
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