Luis Enrique and PSG's youth revolution after Mbappé's departure: Doué, Zaïre Emery, and the under-22 lineups

A little less than a year ago, Kylian Mbappé said goodbye to PSG in a video. The French side had just been eliminated in the Champions League semifinals against Borussia Dortmund, and the number seven hadn't had his best performances. After the French star's ups and downs over the years, Luis Enrique needed to find a new direction for the Parisian squad. "We have to learn to play without Kylian ," said the Asturian coach. That direction was very different from that of recent years and very similar to that of another of Lucho's former teams: FC Barcelona.

At the end of last year, PSG inaugurated its new training complex in Poissy, the crowning glory of the new pillar already outlined by the coach at the presentation of the 59-hectare space and 16 football pitches. "It's essential to build a solid team from the ground up. We want the players trained here to reach the first team and be key players," explained the Spanish coach, highlighting the change in model that would now prevail at PSG, which boasted Messi , Neymar , and Mbappé , signings worth nearly €500 million.

It's not that the Parisian team is closed to stars - in fact, they signed Kvaratskhelia for 70 million euros - but the squad won't be built around them, but rather around one idea: youth and youth development. Thus, Doue, Pacho, Neves and Moscardó were brought in from outside, players under the age of 23 with great potential for the future, like Zïre Emery, Mayulu and Zague . Kvaratskhelia , incidentally, has just turned 24. "If we want a team less dependent on stars and more balanced, we need to develop our own leaders," said the coach, in line with the club's signing policy led by Portuguese Luis Campos .

Beyond bringing in young talent, the important thing is to unite and align them. Luis Enrique has taken a while to find the key to this new PSG. The French team, despite their dominance in the domestic league, as is typical every season, struggled to make it into the 24-team second round of the new Champions League. As of today, the team has been crowned Ligue 1 champion with six matches to spare, plays the Coupe de France final on May 24 against Reims, and faces Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals this Tuesday.

Against the English side, the Asturian coach fielded one of the youngest teams in the competition. With an average age of 23.2, the French side lost 2-0 to the Gunners on the second matchday of the group stage. That setback didn't change the club's or the coaching staff's mindset, which remained confident in their commitment to that goal and remained steadfast in both European and domestic competitions.

Historic elevens

This season, Luis Enrique has fielded the five youngest starting elevens in the Parisian side's history. Against a weak Saint-Marcel in the Coupe de France, he fielded eleven players whose average age was no more than 22 (21.9 years old). The average age was 22.5 years in the league match against Le Havre and 22.6 years, also in Ligue 1, against Rennes. All of the matches in this top three ended in a victory for the Parisians.

Luis Enrique's nursery has several names. If we're talking about youth team representation, Warren Zaïre Emery is the main emerging star. The French midfielder has three goals and one assist and is becoming an increasingly important presence in Luis Enrique's team. "Warren is an example of what we want to build. He has talent, commitment, and the club's DNA. The future of PSG depends on players like him," the coach praised his pupil.

Rennes winger Désiré Doué is the other young sensation of the season. With his presence in the Asturian's starting lineup increasing, Doué has become one of Paris's main attacking weapons. A game-changer and a goal-scorer, the striker has 13 goals and 12 assists, demonstrating his decisiveness when he gets close to the opponent's penalty area.

In total, there are 13 players aged 23 or younger in this new PSG squad, 54% of the Parisian squad. Luis Enrique has a nursery at his disposal to face the great challenges that remain this season. The main one, of course, is getting into the grand final, which he missed out on last year. It would be ironic if the French team were to achieve the challenge that led Mbappé to move to Real Madrid this year. Their opponent could be, precisely, another team that has taken the same path since Messi's departure. Ironic.