Before its entry into the competition against Girona, a more coherent and liberated PSG since the departure of Kylian Mbappé?

Since the start of the season, the capital club has shown an attractive face. The collective alchemy of these first weeks will be put to the test for the first time on the European stage, Wednesday evening.

Four games, four wins, four goals scored on average. Paris Saint-Germain has had an almost perfect start to the season. The only team to have a 100% winning record in Ligue 1, the Parisian team is especially attractive in terms of content. It will be subjected to its first European test on Wednesday, September 18, against Girona (9 p.m.). This start to the Champions League against last season’s surprise in Spain will validate or invalidate the collective progress seen against Lille and Brest (3-1 each time), also in the running in C1.

Although the discourse has changed since Luis Enrique took over the bench in the summer of 2023, the Champions League is no longer considered a “obsession”but European jousts remain the best barometer to assess PSG’s level. The big question at the start of the season is what impact the departure of Kylian Mbappé will have, finally confirmed since July. For the moment, the absence of the club’s top scorer in history (256 goals) is not felt at all.

It’s quite the opposite. What if it was just a blessing in disguise? Paris has lost its media and marketing standard-bearer, but has lost none of its offensive firepower. Far from the 27 goals scored in the league by Mbappé last season, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola have scored as many goals in Ligue 1 after four games as they have in 34 days in 2023-2024 (three and four respectively). His two former teammates in attack seem to have been freed from a weight.

“This season I’m going to try to be a little more personalwarned Dembélé before scoring again (twice) against Brest. I am too generous, I am always looking for the pass, I am told that I must try my luck, whether it is the PSG coach or my teammates”In two years, the club that was criticized for its excessive stardom has lost Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Inevitably, this leaves more room for others to express themselves.

For the captain, Marquinhos, the fact that there is “no big names” nor of “big star” has no impact on the quality of the team on the field. “The coach knew that other players were going to score, he transmitted his will to us. We are in his philosophy, more and more collective”he explained at a press conference on the eve of the match on Tuesday. The look of the Brazilian, the oldest and most experienced player in the locker room at just 30 years old, who has participated in all of PSG’s Champions League campaigns since 2013, is important.

After the beginning of a new era a year ago, Luis Enrique confirmed to the press that his team was entering a second phase, more stable because he can put together a team that is increasingly close to his initial idea. The work of the attackers, in pressing when losing the ball or in defensive withdrawal, is more coordinated and effective this season. Last year, Kylian Mbappé’s passivity in these phases of play was rightly pointed out.

Against Girona, Paris Saint-Germain will undergo its first test of the season. Whatever the result, Luis Enrique will refuse to lend himself to any form of conclusion: “When I see what has happened since last season, I like it. But we will have to wait a few months, or even the end of the season, maybe even several seasons, to see if this project, this idea, set last year, has been able to be carried out successfully.”.