Football Season Guide

Paris Saint-Germain might have struggled to get over the line in Ligue 1 last season under unexpected pressure from Lens, but Luis Enrique’s side more than matched their season objectives as they picked up a second successive Champions League title. Smart prioritisation of matches and squad rotation allowed PSG to further assert their dominance across all realms, playing in their characteristic brand of attacking, possession football. PSG have left it late to do much of their transfer work, although they have not yet lost any particularly important first-team players. Bradley Barcola may well be moved on, though. Otherwise, they have sold well – particularly Goncalo Ramos. Equally, there is a sense that PSG’s transfer business is far from over, with the only eye-catching addition at the time of writing Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco. The squad is likely to change significantly before the end of the transfer window. PSG have had very little summer in terms of their preparation, which could be problematic in itself. Some players were thrown into action after 2 days of preparation in the European Super Cup, yet they managed to find a way to win 2-1, despite clearly lacking fitness. Over the course of the last two years, PSG have emerged as a complete team, capable of winning matches in many different ways and in several different styles. They are best when given room to attack their opponents at pace, yet they have improved markedly defensively thanks to the addition of Willian Pacho, with their mental strength now no longer questioned. PSG’s biggest weakness is their lack of squad depth, which is unlikely to prove too much of a concern in Ligue 1 but could hurt them in the latter stages of the Champions League. Luis Enrique likes to operate with a tightknit group of senior professionals, which he rotates effectively. However, an ill-timed injury crisis could expose them.