As Paris St-Germain prepare to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, much of the focus remains on the man steering the club through an unprecedented era of success: Luis Enrique. The Spanish coach, who has guided PSG to back-to-back European titles, is now chasing a third consecutive Champions League crown — a feat only one other team in history has achieved — while also pursuing a third straight Ligue 1 title.
Despite PSG's lofty ambitions, their domestic form has been unremarkable so far this season. The club sit sixth in Ligue 1 with three wins, two draws and a single loss. Yet inside the club, there is little concern. A similarly sluggish start last season did not stop PSG from eventually dominating, and Luis Enrique has shown no signs of doubting his project. "Do you want to bet against us?" he said recently, reflecting the quiet confidence that surrounds the operation.
The manager has recently committed his future to the club by signing a contract extension through 2030. Several key players — including Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Willian Pacho, Lucas Beraldo and Senny Mayulu — have also put pen to paper on fresh deals, a clear signal that PSG's hierarchy views this as a long-term project rather than a fleeting cycle of success. Part of the challenge, as those close to the club note, is guarding against complacency in a squad that has already won nearly everything available to it.
Luis Enrique's technical staff has remained remarkably stable since his arrival in 2023. Assistant coach Joaquin Valdes, who has worked with him since their days together at Barcelona B, plays a key role in connecting with players on a personal level, while Rafel Pol continues to operate as a trusted strategist and second-in-command. The training methods, too, have changed little — sessions are built around live correction from elevated platforms known as cranes, rather than extensive video analysis.
What has evolved is the strength in depth available to Luis Enrique, which proved crucial throughout last season. He now regularly rests key figures — such as Ousmane Dembele recently — without a drop in team performance. Against lower-table side Le Mans, for example, he fielded eight fringe players before introducing four regular starters to seal the win, illustrating the squad balance he has built.
The forward line has also been refreshed following the departures of Gonzalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola and Lee Kang-in. According to Dani Gil, PSG correspondent for Spanish radio station COPE, the club wanted players with greater hunger: "Barcola could not be given the minutes he wanted, they had won everything and been paid well for it, and the club could do with players who were hungrier. Mika Godts and Ferran Torres fit that description." Torres, who joined in the summer after a difficult period in his career, has rediscovered his form, scoring seven goals in France and insisting he feels wanted at a club for the first time in years.
Luis Enrique's influence extends beyond the first team. PSG's new 350 million euro training complex, opened in November 2024, has unified the club's academy, women's teams and school under a single philosophy dictated from the top. Four academy graduates already featured in last season's Champions League squad, underlining the pathway being built beneath the senior team.
Away from the pitch, Luis Enrique maintains a notably distant relationship with the media, giving interviews only in French and avoiding informal exchanges with journalists. Yet when discussing football itself, he remains sharp and engaging — a trait likely to be tested again at the Etihad, where questions about his predecessor, Pep Guardiola, and the ongoing charges against Manchester City may arise.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.