Kylian Mbappe, Luis Enrique and an issue with PSGs long-term plan

Paris Saint-Germain survived the unthinkable — a group-stage exit for the first time since 2005 and a spring sojourn in the Europa League were mercifully avoided. There would be no post-mortems, no psychodrama and no fervent post-match speculation. The group of death did not claim them, even though it gave them a fright.

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On the night, they did not achieve their primary objective in Dortmund: a victory, and top spot in Group F. For a team that had failed to win any of their previous three Champions League away games, that was never likely to be easy and so it proved, in a helter-skelter contest.

PSG were without Ousmane Dembele, signed from Barcelona in the summer and highly influential under Luis Enrique. Heading into this fixture, no player had been involved in more shot-ending sequences in open play (17 shots, 12 chances created).

The France winger left a void to fill and PSG adapted well, replacing his creativity in wide areas with a fluid midfield three of Lee Kang-in, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery. They ultimately deserved victory at Signal Iduna Park but instead, like against Newcastle, they were wasteful, squandering five terrific chances. But it did not prove consequential. AC Milan made sure of that.

At full time, it was relief that washed off the terraces and onto the faces of the PSG players. They had not achieved what they had set out to do but they avoided disaster. “To finish second in such a group, I’m happy,” said Luis Enrique. “This will allow us to grow. In February, we will be stronger.”

Not everyone was content, though. As the clock hit 85 minutes, word fizzled through the away end that AC Milan had taken a surprise lead and on the bench, Luis Enrique quickly turned to Achraf Hakimi, his full-back, and asked his players for calm. They had been throwing caution to the wind, unaware that fate had given them a helping hand.

GO DEEPER

Hakimi is much more than a full-back now - and at PSG, he is more important than ever

Hakimi turned to Mbappe, a good 40 yards away, and explained the message, motioning his hands to illustrate the need for composure. The full-back had to frantically explain it a couple more times, the message perhaps lost in the din of the arena. Mbappe, though, was clearly not thrilled by this development, as PSG turned to possession retention in the final third as opposed to finding that killer blow. At full time, his frustration was captured by the cameras.

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“It’s normal for the players to be frustrated, we had five chances to score, five very clear chances,” said Luis Enrique. “We would be a bit stupid to continue taking risks in the 85th minute. When a player is frustrated because he wants to score more goals, that’s when I intervene by having an overview to say, ‘Yes we will win, but without taking excessive risks’.”

It was only a small moment of disconnect, perhaps one borne out of foresight and dark memories. Since 2017, PSG have been eliminated five times in the round of 16 and, with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and Barcelona among PSG’s possible opponents, it could certainly happen again.

But his reaction felt pertinent to this curious moment in time for PSG. The pre-match mood music had been about playing down any hysteria if the club had fallen at this early stage; internally, the club spoke of long-term faith in Luis Enrique and the amount of change that happened in the summer. They would stomach the Europa League if they had to.

“There are 11 new transfers, there is a new staff and there was even a new training campus,” said Luis Enrique afterwards, words he repeated to television and in his press conference.

This is a young PSG team — one of the youngest in the competition. The average age of the side that featured against Dortmund was 24.1. Only Feyenoord, Royal Antwerp and Red Bull Salzburg have fielded younger teams in this season’s tournament.

There is, though, a built-in patience with PSG, as they embark on this new ‘era’. Yet, it does ask a question about how this squares with Mbappe, the one player who may not want to wait for success, having finished third in the Ballon d’Or last year despite scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup final and setting an array of club records. It is a point that plays straight into the merry-go-round of his future, lingering in the background with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

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And PSG are a work in progress. This was another performance of thrills and flaws, rivalling the visit of Newcastle at the Parc des Princes. There was excellence embodied by Zaire-Emery and a creative impetus that meant the team took 18 shots on goal and amassed an expected goals value of almost three.

But for their wastefulness, which is an issue considering the more than €200million (£172m, $218m) outlay on attacking talent in the summer, this scoreline would have been very different. Yet, as against Newcastle, they struggled in front of goal and were undone trying to play out from the back. There are weaknesses in defence and, as much as PSG could have scored three by half-time, it is sobering to note that Dortmund could have done likewise.

Luis Enrique is steadfast in his belief that the team will be a lot stronger come the knockout stages. There were encouraging markers; not least the reaction to falling behind. This was a moment where they could have folded but, instead, the team reacted, led by Mbappe’s brilliance out wide and the unerring, if not surprising, composure of 17-year-old Zaire-Emery.

PSG with the quick response! ⚡

Wonderful work from Kylian Mbappe to set up 17-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery for his FIRST #UCL goal! ⭐🙌 pic.twitter.com/ojXjbX6x9X

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 13, 2023

February is just two months away and improvements are needed. “(Converting chances) doesn’t concern me,” said the manager. “We score all the time. What concerns me, in my principles of play, is the lack of control of the match, when it becomes back and forth. I’m improving this. There are teams superior to us in the Champions League, I know it and we risk facing them.”

Control is a recurrent theme and what will be key for all concerned — not just Mbappe — is further discernible progress. That is how belief in a long-term objective can be sustained.

Success will help too, such as Champions League qualification from a tough group. For now, Luis Enrique will take solace from that, hoping his players will be battle-hardened for the tasks that lie ahead.

“It was the most difficult group in the competition,” he added. “Many would have liked to see us dead. But we are very much alive.” 

(Top photo: Christian Liewig – Corbis/Getty Images)

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