- 03/06/2025
Kylian Mbappe leaving for Real Madrid left a huge hole in the PSG front line, but 10 months later and things aren't looking so bad! With Ousmane Dembele in world beating form and the transfer of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia looking like a masterstroke, it's no wonder that PSG won the Champions League final! But how has Luis Enrique adapted his team this season? And what role have Dembele and Doue played? Matt sits down with journalist Julien Laurens to discuss.
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00:00Who would have thought it? PSG are better off without Kylian Mbappe.
00:03Well, I say better off, the team seems to be more of a cohesive unit.
00:08But is that just down to the departure of the Frenchman?
00:10What effect has Luis Enrique had on the team?
00:12And when did Ousmane Dembele get so damn good?
00:16Well, we're about to find out as I'm Matt from 442
00:18and this is how PSG have redefined themselves after Kylian Mbappe.
00:26To help me along with this one, I've spoken to French journalist,
00:29this podcaster and PSG fan, Julien Laurent,
00:31who certainly saw that replacing Mbappe was the impossible task
00:35and therefore required the club's transfer strategy
00:38to approach things from a different angle.
00:40The idea was to replace him with Graz Kelly,
00:42to go to Napoli and get Vica last summer.
00:46And that was really the only big name signing,
00:49big marquee signing they wanted to do.
00:51Joanne Heves cost a bit of money,
00:53but he was not really a name that everybody was kind of familiar with,
00:57certainly not at the level of Graz Kelly.
00:59The idea was really to get a pure winger,
01:02to replace Mbappe, who was your number nine last season,
01:05even if he prefers to play on the left,
01:06but who was a guy who scored 44 goals for you.
01:09And yet, if you get Graz Kelly, for example,
01:11you know he's not going to get you 44 goals.
01:13But the idea was very much,
01:15you can't really replace Mbappe himself.
01:17There's nobody that PSG could have signed
01:19with the same output in the team,
01:22with the same, like, stardust and that kind of thing.
01:27That was not possible.
01:28Or the ones that you could have signed were not available anyway.
01:31So they had a plan for Kvara Trelia,
01:33but bringing him in required patience.
01:35It's, if anything, a testament to PSG
01:37in the fact that they really wanted Vica's specific profile,
01:40and his signing was a well-thought-out plan,
01:42not a knee-jerk reaction to anything they'd seen
01:45in the first half of the campaign,
01:46when they eventually got him in January.
01:49All this basically shows that PSG were,
01:51and are, building and thinking in long-term strategies.
01:54Even the others that came like a Desiree Dway,
01:57for example, again, good, promising kid in France,
01:59but not the same status that Graz Kelly has,
02:03as a Serie A champion,
02:05Champions League quarter-finalist already had,
02:07really, at the time.
02:09They just could not make it happen.
02:10And instead of going and spending that money somewhere else,
02:12they thought, let's keep what we have.
02:15We've got Barcola, we've got Dembele, we've got Due,
02:18and then if we can do Kvara Scalia maybe in January
02:20or next summer, then we will do it.
02:22But they could not find an agreement with Napoli
02:24over the transfer fee.
02:26Napoli wanted a lot of money, way over 100 million euros.
02:29Kvara Scalia wanted to come already last summer.
02:31They just felt it was just not right for them.
02:34So, again, a bit like what Liverpool did with Van Dijk at the time.
02:38They were rather waiting to get the right guy,
02:41the guy they wanted from day one,
02:43instead of spending the money on somebody else,
02:45that was the plan B.
02:46As Julian mentioned,
02:47that transfer will come at a later date,
02:48and it all formed part of this big Mbappe replacement plan.
02:52But in the meantime,
02:53manager Luis Enrique already had bundles of talent to work with,
02:56and like you'd expect from all good managers,
02:58he had a plan for the attacking threat
03:00in this now Mbappe-less PSG side,
03:02a plan that would see the goal shared out
03:04amongst the PSG front line.
03:06From the beginning, he said,
03:08we will be a better team now without Kylian.
03:10I would have rather kept him,
03:12but now that he's gone,
03:13we will be better,
03:14and we will share the goals with our attackers.
03:18One guy can score 40 goals, no problem.
03:20But if four guys can score 15 each,
03:23then at the end of the season,
03:24you've got more goals than the guy that left with 40.
03:28Obviously, I know that Mbappe scored 40,
03:30and you could have Gonzalo Ramos with 15,
03:32and Dembele with 15.
03:33So it's not really right and fair.
03:37But I like the fact that that's how they thought.
03:39Instead of trying to get a number nine with 40 goals,
03:43because they didn't really fancy someone like Vlaovic,
03:46for example, or Gio Keres,
03:47or those kind of guys,
03:48Sesko, Isak even.
03:50They just thought,
03:51okay, what can we do here?
03:53We will play 4-3-3,
03:54so we need a lot from the two wide players
03:56in assists and in goals,
03:58we need a good number nine
03:59that will score goals,
04:00but a number nine that will fit that 4-3-3 formation,
04:03and Luis Enrique didn't want just a guy
04:05who will be in the box and stand there.
04:07His idea was,
04:08at some point,
04:09to move Dembele there
04:10and have Barcola and Varskelia Odui
04:13and Barcola,
04:14and Varskelia there
04:15and leave that kind of central area to Dembele
04:18because he's so unpredictable.
04:20I think to defend against him
04:21is much more difficult
04:22than to defend against
04:23the more traditional number nine too.
04:25So now here we are,
04:26and Luis Enrique is looking like
04:27an absolute genius
04:29because everything has gone exactly to plan.
04:31Whilst last season
04:32saw Mbappe score 44 goals
04:34with the second highest
04:35being Gonzalo Ramos with 14,
04:37this season,
04:37the goals have been shared around.
04:39Ousmane Dembele has over 30
04:41in all competitions,
04:42with Barcola,
04:43Ramos and Varskelia Odui
04:44all in the teams for goal scoring.
04:45Hell,
04:46even Hakimi and Nuno Mendes
04:47have seven and six respectively.
04:49But before we go giving Enrique
04:50all the credit,
04:51although he does deserve a lot,
04:53this Dembele through the middle idea
04:55isn't exactly something new.
04:56In fact,
04:57it's something that French boss
04:58Didier Deschamps
04:59has seen in the form of Barcelona man
05:01for quite some time.
05:02I remember him saying like,
05:04you know,
05:05I would really fancy
05:06trying him number nine,
05:08but you can't really do it
05:08at international level
05:09because you don't have the time
05:10to work on it.
05:12You don't have enough games either.
05:13If you play him there
05:14and it's a disaster for two games,
05:16he doesn't do anything,
05:16you lose two games.
05:17So it's difficult.
05:19But Deschamps had that
05:20in his mind already.
05:21And I think the key for me
05:23of this incredible 2025
05:25so far for PSG
05:26is the move of
05:27like moving Dembele
05:28from wide to central.
05:30And I think the key
05:32in Dembele's current form,
05:33which is a Ballon d'Or form,
05:35best player in the league,
05:36one of the best players
05:37in Europe right now,
05:38is moving him there
05:40and him realizing that
05:42this was maybe
05:43the right position for him
05:44to the point that
05:44he joked about it
05:46a bit on Sunday night
05:47when he received
05:48the player,
05:49the Ligue 1 player
05:49of the season award.
05:51Deschamps was there
05:52and he said like,
05:53he's still playing me
05:54wide with France
05:55and everybody laughed
05:57and Deschamps said,
05:58oh, you're taking the make.
05:59I'm going to play you
06:00on the left
06:00instead of the right now
06:01but not central.
06:02But I think Deschamps
06:04in the last game
06:05against Croatia
06:05played him centrally
06:06and I think this is the future
06:07and I think Dembele realized
06:08that being closer to goal
06:09with maybe less running to do,
06:11less creativity in his game,
06:13although he can still do it
06:14because he gave,
06:15again, I think 13 assists
06:16this season,
06:18is better for his game
06:20and that maybe
06:21the lack of efficiency
06:22that he used to have before
06:23coming from wide positions
06:25was maybe just,
06:26it was not so much about him
06:27and his finishing,
06:28it was more
06:28if you put him
06:30in better position
06:31then he could be clinical too
06:33and it's difficult wide.
06:34Really, only Salah can do it
06:36and now a bit of
06:36Laminia Malin,
06:37this kind of guy
06:38but it's not that common
06:40to have a winger
06:41that can score
06:4135, 40 goals a season really
06:44and I think,
06:45I think now that he's closer
06:46to the goal,
06:47that he's in that zone,
06:49that area,
06:49that he's a bit more calm,
06:51he's a bit more experienced,
06:52but mature,
06:53that has helped him massively
06:54but the two go together
06:56to explain Piaget's great form
06:57is Dembele going into
06:59that number nine position
06:59and to explain Dembele's great form
07:02is him moving
07:03into that number nine position.
07:04But aside from
07:05the ridiculous form
07:06of Ousmane Dembele,
07:07something I'm sure by now
07:08you'll be aware of
07:08unless you live under
07:09the proverbial footballing rock,
07:11this plan isn't just as simple
07:12as suggesting that players
07:13share the goals,
07:14it's more due to the fact
07:15that each player
07:16brings something different
07:17to the table
07:17in a variety of positions.
07:20I'll be honest,
07:20whilst doing my research
07:21for this video,
07:22I thought,
07:22why do they need to sign
07:23Kraut's Helio
07:24and Barcolas having
07:25such a good season?
07:26Well, as the old saying goes,
07:27there's many ways
07:28to skin a cat
07:29and Barcolas way
07:30was just doing things
07:31very, very quickly.
07:32He's got that speed,
07:34electric speed,
07:35that Graz Kelly
07:36who's quick
07:36doesn't really have
07:37because Graz Kelly
07:38is even quicker
07:40with the ball
07:40at his feet,
07:41you know,
07:41slaloming
07:42and doing that skills
07:43and the runs
07:44with the ball
07:45that maybe Bradley
07:46still needs to improve
07:47on a bit more
07:48because I think
07:49Barcolas for a long time,
07:50a bit like what Dembele
07:51used to do,
07:51was very much a winger
07:52that had so much space
07:53that he would give me
07:54the ball
07:54and then I'd push the ball
07:56and I'd run behind
07:56and I'm too fast
07:57for everybody really.
07:59Whereas for Graz Kelly
08:00it's more give me the ball
08:01and I go one-on-one
08:02and then you can't stop me
08:03because you don't know
08:03I can go on the outside,
08:04I can go on the inside,
08:05right foot, left foot.
08:07He's so unpredictable
08:07as we saw in the goal
08:08against Aston Villa
08:09for example,
08:10where Esri Konza
08:11is still looking
08:12at where Graz Kelly
08:13is really.
08:14He did him so dirty.
08:15And just like Barcolas' ability,
08:17Graz Kelly
08:17brought something
08:18different to the table
08:19that made him stand out
08:20from his predecessor Mbappe.
08:22Something that almost
08:22typifies this new
08:24and improved PSG side,
08:25work rate.
08:26All the data that PSG
08:27had last summer
08:28when they wanted to sign him
08:29in the first place,
08:31the goals,
08:31the skills,
08:32technical ability,
08:34that was great,
08:34no problem.
08:35But they were very impressed
08:36with all his numbers
08:37defensively
08:38and tracking back,
08:40following his fullback,
08:41helping his fullback,
08:42all of that kind of stuff
08:43that really,
08:44for a team like Luis Enrique
08:45that presses
08:46and counter presses
08:46so well
08:47and is so important
08:48to the team
08:49and to the method
08:51and the system,
08:52you need wingers
08:53who will do
08:53that kind of work
08:54and Kylian
08:55would never defend
08:56like Graz Kelly
08:57this is not what he does
08:58he didn't defend
08:59when he was 10 years old
09:00he's not going to defend
09:00now that he's 26
09:01you know
09:01so that's also
09:03what they wanted
09:04and that's what they saw
09:05in Graz Kelly
09:05a guy who's great on the ball
09:07you can give the ball
09:07to him under pressure
09:08he's so press resistant
09:10he's so good in one-on-ones
09:11in tight spaces
09:13but also
09:14he can run at you
09:15and also
09:16he will defend
09:17for his life
09:18and that's what they wanted
09:19and that's what they got.
09:20I know it's super cliche
09:21but this new PSG team
09:23and their new transfer strategy
09:24not just the names
09:25in this video by the way
09:26but also
09:27Lee Kang-In for example
09:28Vettinia
09:28William Paccio
09:29Lucas Barralo
09:30Jean Neves
09:31have helped to make the club
09:32a little bit more relatable
09:33to the fans.
09:35Sure not every transfer worked out
09:36Kolo Mouane
09:37is definitely one of them
09:38but with the signings
09:39of Barca-Leu and Due
09:40it seems that PSG
09:41are going in a slightly
09:42different direction
09:43and Due especially
09:44is the absolute epitome
09:45of this for me
09:46they signed a young player now
09:48with a load of potential
09:49to basically help him grow
09:50instead of paying
09:51a ridiculous amount of money
09:52like they had to do
09:53with Neymar
09:54once Due becomes world class.
09:56Of course there's the risk
09:57that he won't be
09:57but having seen the start
09:58to his life at PSG
09:59it looks like he's going
10:01to go far.
10:02I'm in no way
10:03on top of all of this
10:04ignoring the fact
10:04they pay 50 million
10:05for a teenager
10:06but I guess that's the going rate
10:08for someone with so much
10:08potential these days.
10:10Due is the one
10:11that really
10:11I think defies all
10:13I knew how good he was
10:15technically
10:15of course
10:16because I'd seen him
10:17I remember him
10:18making his debut
10:19at 16 for N
10:19I remember watching
10:20that game
10:21and thinking
10:21okay there's something
10:22there clearly
10:22you could see it
10:23two weeks later
10:24he scores his first goal
10:25in Ligue 1 at 16
10:26you think okay
10:26there are not that many
10:29players who can do that
10:29and then
10:30it was inconsistent
10:32but again at that age
10:33it's normal
10:34there's some moments
10:35where he would be
10:36on the ball
10:36and you think
10:37wow breathtaking
10:38and other times
10:39where he would lose
10:40the ball
10:40because you would
10:40try to do things
10:41too difficult
10:42and you're like
10:42just simplify your game
10:43and even when he arrived
10:45at the club
10:46I was a little bit
10:47skeptical
10:4750 million euros
10:48there's a lot of money
10:48for a 19 year old
10:49I remember him
10:51starting at Arsenal
10:51at the Emirates
10:53in October
10:53in the league phase
10:54of the Champions League
10:55out of his depth
10:56on the right hand side
10:57Dembele had been dropped
10:58for that game
10:58Dway started as a right winger
11:00I mean PSG were
11:01outplayed by Arsenal
11:03especially in the first half
11:04but he was not ready
11:05for the level
11:06but maybe the turning point
11:08is the end of December
11:09and when he scored
11:10that goal
11:10against Salzburg
11:11and then
11:12that was the boost
11:15of confidence he needed
11:16and after that
11:17I mean on the ball
11:18really
11:19I know we're comparing
11:19to Neymar
11:20and it's a little bit
11:22too much maybe right now
11:23but technically
11:24I've rarely seen
11:26somebody as good as him
11:27really
11:27and I've seen
11:28thousands of players
11:29I know PSG have jumped
11:30around from project
11:31to project
11:32whether that's a new manager
11:33or new signings
11:34but you feel
11:35having tinkered
11:35for a few years
11:36they've now finally settled
11:38on a footballing identity
11:39and success is sure
11:40to follow
11:40and if it is
11:41then they might have to beat
11:42what I think
11:43will be a resurgent
11:44Arsenal side
11:44in the years to come
11:45and to find out
11:46why that is
11:47you can click right here
11:48to view that Arsenal video
11:49but in the meantime
11:50let me know
11:50in the comment section
11:51down below
11:51if you think PSG
11:52are going to be
11:53an absolute powerhouse
11:54in the years to come
11:55don't forget to subscribe
11:56whilst you're there
11:57and I'll see you
11:58in the next video
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