Paris Saint-Germain have clinched their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title following Saturday\'s 1-0 victory over Angers, with Désiré Doué scoring the decisive goal in what defender Lucas Hernández described as \"only the start\" of their season\'s ambitions.
This championship marks PSG\'s most dominant league campaign of the Qatar Sports Investments era, with the club posting a record 82.1% win percentage in Ligue 1 under manager Luis Enrique\'s \"total control\" approach. The team leads the league in possession (68.3%), completed passes per match (653), and recoveries in the opposition half (9.8 per game).
\"I was brave when I told you last season that we would have a better team in attack and defence,\" Luis Enrique said in February. \"I continue to say that and the numbers are there to show it.\" The Spanish manager has successfully implemented his death-by-possession vision, creating a more balanced team following Kylian Mbappé\'s departure.
Mbappé\'s exit completed the dissolution of the \"MNM\" trio that included Lionel Messi and Neymar, whose defensive limitations had previously hampered the team\'s tactical coherence. Former Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid once observed: \"It is easy to work the ball out of the defence because the front three don\'t defend.\"
The current attacking quartet of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Gonçalo Ramos, and Désiré Doué have each contributed more than 10 goals this season, with new addition Khvicha Kvaratskhelia further strengthening the squad. This balanced attack has PSG pursuing an unbeaten domestic season.
\"There are records that didn\'t interest me until today, but we will try to remain unbeaten all season. This record is very interesting,\" Luis Enrique remarked before the Angers match. However, Hernández emphasized the team\'s broader ambitions: \"Winning the Champions League has always been an objective; we have achieved one, now time for another.\"
Luis Enrique\'s 100th game as PSG manager will pit him against former PSG coach Unai Emery, who faced different institutional challenges during his tenure. \"At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is in charge. At PSG, Neymar has to be,\" Emery remarked after leaving the club in 2018, highlighting the player power issues that previously plagued the team.
Unlike his predecessors who struggled with \"contrasting and disparate elements,\" Luis Enrique has been empowered to implement his vision, achieving the best points-per-game average of any manager in the QSI era. This has transformed PSG into a model of elite consistency reminiscent of Manchester City.
Despite their domestic dominance and favored status in next month\'s Coupe de France final against Reims, PSG\'s true test remains in European competition, where Luis Enrique\'s \"perfect PSG\" still faces its greatest challenge. After years of circus-like drama, the club has achieved a form of boring dominance that, while predictable domestically, continues to seek validation on the Continental stage.