Paris Saint-Germain won the French Football League title for the third time in a row and the twelfth in its history, three stages before the end of the season, with its direct chaser, Monaco, losing to its host, Lyon, on Sunday at the end of the thirty-first stage, setting its sights on achieving a historic hat-trick in light of its continuation in the two Champions League competitions. Europe and the local cup.
Saint-Germain, which fell into a 3-3 draw against its guest Le Havre on Saturday, benefited from Monaco’s stumble, as the difference between them became 12 points three stages before the end of the season.
It is the most complete combination. The arrival of Spanish coach Luis Enrique in the summer, the stability of star Kylian Mbappe who is close to leaving, in addition to the brilliance of the best passer Ousmane Dembélé and one of the most developed players, Portuguese Vitinha. These were the most prominent elements in leading Paris Saint-Germain to the French League title, “Ligue 1”, with a great opportunity to achieve a historic hat-trick if they won the French Cup and the European Champions League.
Luis Enrique: Play, rotation, and diversity. Similar to his first season on the FC Barcelona bench, Enrique is heading to achieve a historic treble by winning the league, the cup, and the Champions League, in order to “write history for the club and France.”
After taking over the torch this summer with a renewed lineup and a precise playing philosophy, the former Spain national team coach reinvented the new Parisian version after the disappointments of previous years in which the club spent exorbitant sums of money without achieving outstanding success in the main continental competition in particular.
The Spaniard’s work revolved around possession, passing, and quick transitions, while he opened the door to diversity, competition, and rotation among his players, without excluding Mbappe.
“The players have understood my concepts and I am happy with what I see,” the coach said.
Kylian Mbappe: Goals and departure Seeing Mbappe playing a full match in the local league has become unusual, since the club management announced his departure at the end of the season. Enrique intended to reduce the playing time of the 2022 World Cup top scorer in the league in order to “prepare for the next season”: he included him either from the bench (similar to the match against Nantes in February) or during the break (against Monaco in March), to content himself with remaining on the bench (against Lyon in March). 21 of this month).
Despite the decrease in his time inside the green rectangle since February, the “Roosters” national team star and the top scorer of the Qatar World Cup 2022, who is expected to join Spanish Real Madrid next season, is still the top scorer in the league with 26 goals, far ahead of Lille’s Canadian striker Jonathan David (17 goals). .
Although he was less impressive this season after Enrique started with him on the left side, before putting him in the center of the attack, Mbappé remains the most influential, and his ability to decide in the Parisian team cannot be doubted, before his expected departure at the end of the season.
Ousmane Dembélé: Dynamic and the best passer – After joining from Barcelona, Spain, during the summer, Dembélé quickly integrated into the capital club and in the French League, receiving high praise from his coach: the player who strikes the balance of opponents the most in the world, dynamic in addition to other advantages.
He was a mainstay in Saint-Germain’s attacking line and the best passer in “Ligue 1” (8), ahead of his teammate Mbappe and Brest player Romain del Castillo (7).
But his scoring numbers are completely different: the player, who usually occupied the right wing position and sometimes was the number nine player, scored three times in the league, one of them in an amazing way against Monaco (5-2) last November.
Despite his lack of effectiveness, he remains one of the most influential players on the offensive line: thanks to his strong presence in tight spaces on the right side alongside his Moroccan teammate Achraf Hakimi, or through his influential dribbles, ability to control the ball, and quick runs.
Just like Bradley Barkola, the player who occupies the left wing position, the France international is also a defensive pillar thanks to his ability to move quickly defensively and press well.
Vitinha: After being in the shadows last season due to the presence of Brazilian Neymar and Argentinian Lionel Messi, Vitinha’s performance and presence have developed remarkably during recent months in the Paris midfield.
The 24-year-old Portuguese leads Saint-Germain’s midfield in the league and Champions League through his ability to keep the ball and his readings of the game, in addition to his abilities and statistics: in 27 matches in “Ligue 1”, he scored 7 goals with 4 assists.
The Portuguese player has great technical talent and energy with the ball. He is a skilled midfielder in front of goal, with the ability to hit powerful and accurate balls from outside the area.
Vitinha’s emergence is partly linked to Mbappe’s repositioning in a purely attacking role, which allowed the former Porto player to get out of the “bottle” to assume his natural role.
In the number 6 position, Vitinha, who is one of the elements that the capital club is counting on in the rebuilding, has become essential to creating balance in the game. He is a symbol of the team’s progress, without a doubt, for several weeks.