PSG won their second consecutive Champions League title and this is not the story of tactics, style of football, or any such concept. It's the story of a workhorse team and the respect they give to Luis Enrique. It is a team that has finally bought into what the manager stands for, unlike other top European sides today.
Luis Enrique's vision
This all started when Kylian Mbappe left Paris, with Luis Enrique announcing at the time that Paris would be a better team without him. That he was finally free to implement his demanding playing style and football philosophy for all the players instead of adapting the approach for one individual. It has all proved him right and the team, which was used as a vehicle to promote personal branding, has now become part of a unified whole.
The ultimate example of that culture occurred in the final of the Champions League. With the score locked at 1-1, Luis Enrique substituted the Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and one of the best midfielder Vitinha.
In other clubs, a change like this, at that score, would mean instant dressing-room grumbling and media complaints, and yet both players accepted the decision without hesitation and spent the remainder of the game at the touchline, cheering for their teammates and for the badge of the club.
What Barcelona and other clubs need to learn
This level of discipline is something many clubs, cannot or do not adhere to. Think about what would have happened at Barcelona if Hansi Flick had substituted Lamine Yamal with the score at 1-1 in the final of a European game, there would have been a dissection of every tiny gesture of displeasure from the dugout. Young talented players all over Europe find it hard to accept tactical substitutions when their team is under pressure.
PSG have proved that the path to winning back-to-back European titles is to remove individual ego, and top clubs all over Europe have to examine closely how Luis Enrique has developed that kind of dressing room.
If Barcelona wants to compete for Champions League titles in the coming seasons, they have to develop that same kind of work ethic among their players. You can still win domestic competitions without having that fully developed but winning Europe's highest club prize means utter submission to the team's concept.
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