PSG have started this season in scintillating form, currently sitting joint-top of Ligue 1 having won six and drawn one of their opening seven games. Many fans have begun wondering whether this year will see PSG finally get their hands on the UEFA Champions League. Should the French giants carry their league form over to Europe, PSG would be set for European dominance this season.
PSG were involved in one of the most dramatic transfer sagas in football history this summer as Real Madrid actively pursued the signature of global superstar Kylian Mbappe. He was eventually convinced by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG president, to turn down Madrid in order to make history with PSG by winning them their first UCL. However, many football fans around the world would argue Mbappe was convinced by the £1million per week offer with a reported further £100million signing-on bonus, and not the Club’s vison!
Regardless of Mbappe’s motives, the money PSG splashed out on the Frenchman signifies their ambitions. The PSG board will be demanding continental success as a return on their investment. The board have already taken major steps in improving the culture and environment around the club by appointing Luis Campos as Director of Football and Christophe Galtier as manager.
Luis Campos is the former Director of Football of Monaco and Lille. He is responsible for identifying and bringing through talents such as Mbappe, Nicolas Pepe and Bernardo Silva.
Galtier has arguably been the best manager in France over the last few years and has all the credentials to one day manage in the PL, according to Campos, who spoke to Sky Sports in June last year.
“Christophe has all the qualities to coach in England. Technically he is very astute and is extremely detailed in his planning when preparing a team.”
Galtier’s Lille side beat PSG to the title in 2018/2019, and his OG Nice team made the UCL group stages by finishing in the top four last season. He is known for his defensive structure. However, this season he has altered his system so that the defensive rigidity gives freedom to the fearsome front three of Neymar, Messi and Mbappe to do their best work further up the field.
Galtier and Campos worked timelessly during the summer transfer window as PSG seemed to have moved away from their old transfer strategy that saw primarily target big-name players. The two men clearly identified the midfield as the area most in need of a revamp. This led to the signings of Portuguese duo Vitinha and Renato Sanches, as well as further midfield reinforcements in Carlos Soler and Fabián Ruiz.
Of all 7 signings the Parisians made during the summer, the highest age and biggest profile in terms of establishment was Fabián Ruiz at 26-years-old. A clear indication of a change in recruitment strategy as Galtier and Campos look to build a team capable of dominating European football in the near future.
So far this season in Ligue 1, PSG average over 4 goals and concede 0.57 per game. Neymar has taken his game to a new level and Messi looks like he is back to his best. Kylian Mbappe has also carried on from where he left off at last season, scoring 9 goals in just 6 appearances across all competitions thus far. The World Cup winner is also currently the top scoring player in Europe in 2022, four goals ahead of Robert Lewandowski. Scary times for European defences.