Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were forced to perform a balancing act to seal their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title after spending much of the season caught between Champions League ambitions and an unexpectedly stubborn domestic challenge from RC Lens.
Luis Enrique’s side clinched the league title on Wednesday against the team that had been breathing down their necks, as Lens’ challenge ended in a 2-0 defeat after months of relentless pursuit.
The season became an exercise in careful energy management for Luis Enrique, who had to navigate the decisive knockout stages of PSG’s Champions League campaign while Lens never truly allowed them to drift into cruise control domestically.
This PSG side did not suddenly discover collective football, as Luis Enrique had already begun last season pulling the club away from the superstar-centric focus on individual brilliance that defined previous years.
What changed this year was the clarity of the idea and the authority with which it was carried out, helped by Warren Zaïre-Emery re-establishing himself in midfield after a difficult 2024-25 season.
At the heart of PSG’s evolution has stood Ousmane Dembélé, who has produced the most complete football of his career.
The winger, long regarded as one of Europe’s great unfinished talents, has combined his devastating dribbling with clinical finishing and tactical discipline to become Luis Enrique’s trusted attacking reference point around which the system revolves.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s ability to beat defenders one-on-one has given PSG moments of individual improvisation without upsetting the team’s positional balance, while Désiré Doué has confirmed that he is one of France’s most gifted young players.
Luis Enrique has insisted that forwards defend collectively and defenders participate in attacking phases, creating a side capable of pressing in coordinated waves rather than relying on isolated moments of brilliance.
“The mentality of defending together is what characterises us,” defender Willian Pacho explained during PSG’s European run. “The forwards help us defend and we help them attack.”
Now comes the real test. PSG have two weeks before the Champions League final against Arsenal F.C., a showdown that will define their season regardless of how impressive their Ligue 1 campaign has been.
