Luis Enrique Asserts Paris Saint-Germain Were A Real Team With Kylian Mbappe Last Season

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Paris Saint-Germain's manager, Luis Enrique, has emphasised that the team was cohesive even when Kylian Mbappe was part of the squad last season. PSG have reached the Champions League final against Inter and will also compete in the Coupe de France final against Reims after securing the Ligue 1 title. The team's improved performance this season is often linked to Mbappe's move to Real Madrid.

When questioned about this at a press conference on Wednesday, Enrique stated: "Last year we were a real team, too. I said we would manage to improve the team. Players have arrived, and the numbers show the team's better. But we were a team last year, without a doubt. Don't forget that we also played in a Champions League semi-final."

This season, PSG have averaged 2.49 expected goals (xG) per game across all competitions, a figure only surpassed during the 2019-20 QSI era with 2.58 xG per game. Their average of 4.93 big chances per game is higher than any season with Mbappe on the team. "We've scored more goals than last season, and more players have provided assists," Enrique added.

Enrique highlighted that many players contributed to scoring and assisting, reducing reliance on a single player. Ousmane Dembele has notably stepped up in Mbappe's absence, contributing directly to 44 goals this season. However, Mbappe had surpassed this tally in five seasons during his time with PSG.

Reflecting on their Champions League journey, Enrique acknowledged that PSG started slowly but became more efficient as the campaign progressed. "We played some very high-level games in the Champions League and lost them, like Atletico Madrid and Liverpool," he said.

The turning point came when they improved their efficiency in breaking deadlocks during matches. Players found themselves in better positions within the box, transforming their statistics from poor to among Europe's best.

Comparing Past Performances

Despite improvements this season, PSG averaged more goals (2.6 compared to 2.3) and secured more points per game (2.3 compared to 2.2) with Mbappe over his seven seasons in Paris than without him.

The current version of PSG may not rely on one star player as much as before but has become more efficient overall under Enrique's guidance.