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The Guardian
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
PSG won the Ligue 1 title 57 days ago. Will the break disrupt their rhythm?
'We aren't boxing in the same category,' said Reims manager Samba Diawara after his team were beaten 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France final on Saturday. In truth, few opponents have been worthy of sharing the ring with PSG this season. Domestically at least, they have been peerless. The only concern is that their domination may have broken their rhythm in the final weeks of the season. By the time PSG face Inter in the Champions League final, it will have been 57 days since they wrapped up their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title. In the eight weeks since they clinched the title with an unspectacular 1-0 win over Angers, the stakes have been low in Ligue 1, especially after a surprising defeat to Nice in late April ended their chances of an invincible campaign. 'Records aren't our primary objective, titles are,' said Luis Enrique, who roused his troops for Champions League ties against Aston Villa and Arsenal. Doing it again in Munich will be a tougher task. That second-leg win over Arsenal marked the start of the holidays for some in the squad. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha were all given almost a week off after sealing the club's place in the Champions League final. 'Rest is very important,' insisted Luis Enrique, who accords a great level of importance to the mental aspect of management. 'Every player has a personal plan,' he added. That plan has seen some of the pillars of PSG's success feature sparingly in recent weeks. Donnarumma has played just one game in the past three weeks, with Matvei Safonov once again preferred in goal for the Coupe de France final. Ousmane Dembélé did start against Reims but it was his first full 90 minutes since 15 April. Unlike Bradley Barcola, whose quickfire brace early in the first half killed the game, Dembélé looked out of rhythm. The Frenchman, touted as a frontrunner in the race for the Ballon d'Or, has scored 25 goals in 2025 but only three of them have come in the past two months. His wastefulness was reminiscent of the old Dembélé, the one who dazzled and frustrated in equal measure. Like Donnarumma, he is going into the Champions League final with no momentum. The policy to rest key members has naturally come under scrutiny. A former member of PSG's medical staff said that giving players a break was a 'bad idea, strictly from a physical standpoint'. He added: 'For players who are used to playing every three days, stopping for almost a week is like turning off the engine. You then lose a lot of time when they come back to get the machine going again.' That said, Ruiz and Hakimi showed no signs of rust in the Coupe de France final, with the latter getting on the scoresheet. But drawing any conclusions from a match against Reims feels difficult. L'Équipe's front page on the day of the game read: 'A Funny Final.' PSG had one eye on their date with destiny in Munich, even if Luis Enrique pushed back on the notion. 'It isn't difficult to motivate oneself,' he said. There won't be any players thinking about the next final.' Diawara was more open about the distractions facing his club. 'If any player isn't at 100%, he will be rested,' said the Reims manager. 'It is clear that, more than anything, we want to stay in Ligue 1.' The cup final was sandwiched between more important games – two legs of a relegation playoff against Ligue 2 side Metz, with a place in Ligue 1 next season on the line. Ultimately, Reims came off second best in that encounter, losing the second leg and going down 4-2 on aggregate. Reims had posed PSG problems earlier in the season, fighting for a draw in both league meetings, but resistance on Saturday was feeble. The 'two finals' discourse spouted by Luis Enrique put the matches against Reims and Inter almost on a level footing, but the game at the Stade de France felt like a warmup act. PSG's games since their victory over Arsenal – comfortable wins over Montpellier, Auxerre and Reims – have not tested them. There has been almost an ambivalence to their matches, particularly in Ligue 1. That is not their fault, but the contrast with Inter is stark. Luis Enrique has cut a serene figure for several weeks. All the while, an agitated Simone Inzaghi has presided over a Serie A title race with Napoli that went to the final day of the season. His tensions boiled over as he and his managerial counterpart, Marco Baroni, were sent to the stands during the defining 2-2 draw against Lazio on the penultimate weekend of the campaign. That result allowed Antonio Conte's side to wrap up the title a week later. Inter have not performed at their best in recent weeks, but intensity and pressure have not been lacking; Luis Enrique has had to conjure those conditions artificially. 'You have seen a bit of our training, how we prepare, how intense it is,' said club captain Marquinhos after journalists were invited to the training ground for a glimpse of Luis Enrique's methods. The Spaniard was suspended on a platform metres high above the pitch, directing the session. 'When you only have one match per week, it is normal to have intense sessions – we make sure that the session represents a match,' said the PSG manager. Replicating those conditions physically is the easy part, especially given the strength in depth in the squad, but replicating the pressure, nerves and expectation is impossible. PSG have not been put through that emotional wringer for several weeks, unlike their opponents. And such pressure will be new to almost every player in this PSG squad. Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe are the only players remaining from the team that reached the Champions League final in 2020. Being the youngest squad in this year's competition is worn like a badge of honour at PSG, but it means they are foraying into the unknown at the Allianz Arena. On the other hand, eight of the 11 players who started for Inter against Manchester City in the final two years ago are still at the club. Inter's players, unlike PSG's, are in a familiar position. But there is no sense of unfamiliarity for Luis Enrique, a Champions League winner with Barcelona. His decision to give key players leave is a risk taken within a peculiar context by a man who has already lifted the trophy. Come full-time on Saturday night, PSG's preparations will be deemed sub-optimal or idyllic. Either way, they certainly won't be inconsequential. This is an article by Get French Football News
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inter Milan vs. PSG: Real Madrid Legend Backs Ligue 1 Side to Win Champions League
PSG are less than a week away from facing Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final. Moreover, a Real Madrid legend is siding with the French club despite being from Marseille. Olympique de Marseille are the only other French club to win the Champions League trophy. Over the years, PSG have done its best to join them as the second, coming close in 2020 when they reach the final. However, they'd fall to Bayern Munich. Advertisement Under manager Luis Enrique, it's the second straight year that the Parisians make a deep run in the competition. Last season, the capital reached the semifinals and this year they made it to the final. Furthermore, they'll have support from one great French player. Zinedine Zidane weighs in on Inter Milan vs. PSGfor EA SPORTS FC™ While at the Monaco Grand Prix, Zinedine Zidane spoke to Canal+ and touched on who he sees winning the Champions League next weekend between Inter Milan and PSG. 'Of course I'm going to watch the final—I'm from Marseille and even I'll be tuning in,' said the Marseille native (h/t Ouest France). He even admitted he's rooting for PSG to win their first Champions League title. 'At the end of the day, the French team needs to come out on top.' PSG secured the domestic double this weekend by winning the Coupe de France to go along with the Ligue 1 title. The capital club is one win away from a historic treble under Enrique's command.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🚨 Paris Saint-Germain lift the French Cup!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here. Now it's time for the Champions League... Paris Saint-Germain wins the sixteenth Coupe de France in its history! The Parisians imposed themselves 3-0 against Stade de Reims, this Saturday. Advertisement Three Parisian goals scored... in the first half. Bradley Barcola scored a double and delivered a decisive pass for Achraf Hakimi, the other Rouge et Bleu scorer of the evening. The PSG thus signs a national triple this season, after winning the Trophée des champions at the beginning of the year and the French championship! In a week, Paris will go to Munich to play the Champions League final against Inter. The capital club can sign a historic quadruple in case of victory... For its part, Stade de Reims will host FC Metz on Thursday on the occasion of the play-off return for access to Ligue 1. 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🇫🇷 PSG coast to secure a domestic double in Coupe de France triumph
It was all one-way traffic at the Stade de France tonight as PSG booked their 16th Coupe de France in the club's history during a xxx masterclass against Barcola 16', 19', Hakimi 43' Despite the unexpected last-minute absence of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Les Parisiens hardly skipped a beat on the night and raced ahead to a two-nil lead inside the opening 20 minutes. Starlet pair Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué combined on both goals as their budding attacking partnership continues to bear fruit, with Barcola going on to add an assist on Achraf Hakimi's goal which put PSG out of sight before the interval. Barcola's first-half performance in particular was a treat, with the 22-year-old academy product becoming just the second player in the 21st century to hit three goal involvements in one half of play during a Coupe de France final since Zlatan Ibrahimović. In what was sheer dominance in the City of Light, Samba Diawara's Les rouges et blancs offered little resistance while Luis Enrique's were hardly forced out of first gear after the restart. The first-half blitz was more than enough to guarantee further honours for Enrique, who now sits on a brace of domestic doubles since arriving in 2023, and now has a Champions League final against Inter to look forward to next weekend. 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors
CNA
24-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
PSG stroll to French Cup triumph in perfect Champions League warm-up
PARIS :Holders Paris St Germain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Stade de Reims in the Coupe de France final on Saturday, claiming a third domestic trophy for the second successive season, and preparing for next week's Champions League final in style. Luis Enrique's Ligue 1 champions and French Super Cup winners had little trouble seeing off relegation-battling Reims, with all the goals in the opening half at the Stade de France as PSG strolled to a record-extending 16th French Cup win. PSG went on the attack from the off, and while Reims managed the first shot on target - Amadou Kone's long-range effort never troubling goalkeeper Matvey Safonov - they offered little opposition over the 90 minutes. Russian Safonov was chosen ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma but otherwise Luis Enrique selected his strongest side, although Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, named in the initial starting 11, was replaced by Desire Doue before kickoff. PSG dominated with slick passing, constantly pressing forward with intent, and Reims' resolve was broken with two goals in quick succession from Bradley Barcola, which were both set up by Doue. Doue's pass sent Barcola free in the 16th minute and he raced past his marker before whipping a shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner. Three minutes later Marquinhos played a defence-splitting pass into the area to the feet of Doue, whose across the goal was tapped in by the perfectly positioned Barcola. "We got off to a good start and got the job done quickly. We set a lot of pace, both defensively and offensively, and it paid off," Barcola told France 2. Even with their two-goal advantage, PSG did not take their foot off the gas, Yehvann Diouf's fine save denying Ousmane Dembele, who pulled a shot wide of the far post from a great position, but a third goal was always coming. It duly arrived two minutes from the break, with Barcola turning provider by playing the perfect ball across the box which Achraf Hakimi finished off at the back post. PSG maintained the intensity after the interval, Diouf having to be quick off his line to deny Joao Neves a close-range chance and the keeper then made a reflex save to keep out Barcola's shot. The second half was little more than a training session for PSG, with Reims again pinned back in their own half, and while they failed to add to their goal tally, Luis Enrique's players will be full of belief for the challenge ahead. PSG will aim to lift their first Champions League trophy when they take on Inter Milan in Munich next Saturday to cap off what would be the capital club's greatest season. "We knew we had to get the job done today to prepare well for the (Champions League) final, and we did it. Now, we will arrive to the next match with confidence," Barcola said. Reims must now attempt to secure Ligue 1 survival with the second leg of their relegation playoff at home to Metz on Thursday. The sides are level at 1-1 after the first leg.
