After Mbappé: Could PSG’s least ‘galactic’ team be their most successful yet?

benjamin dodman

Mon, 17 Feb 2025, 5:36 am·1-min read

Kylian Mbappé may be gone, but Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola have stepped up for PSG.

Over the years, Paris Saint-Germain's hyped-up, overpriced squads have racked up some of the most depressing fiascos in the history of club football. With the likes of Neymar, Mbappé and Messi now gone, PSG’s players have developed a newfound confidence and clinical efficiency under Luis Enrique's management, a shift epitomised by Ousmane Dembélé’s transformation from wasteful finisher to ruthless goal scorer.

When quizzed about the loss of his talismanic striker Kylian Mbappé last summer, PSG’s coach Luis Enrique strove to sound upbeat about the season ahead.

“I’d rather have four players who score 12 goals each than one who scores 40,” the Spanish coach quipped. “It adds up to more goals overall.”

Six months on, Enrique, who had a notoriously difficult relationship with Mbappé, is feeling vindicated.

PSG’s stranglehold on the French league, meanwhile, is as tight as ever.

Just days before the Brest game, the Parisians comfortably saw off Ligue 1 heavyweights Monaco, highlighting the gulf that remains between them and their next-richest domestic rivals. They are 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille, whom they trounced at the Vélodrome in October.

It was the worst possible pairing for Brest, who last beat PSG back in 1985.