Luis Enrique wins title even as he builds for future

Paris, France - Paris St Germain won their 12th Ligue 1 title on Sunday, the first step in what manager Luis Enrique hopes will be an historic treble in a season which had threatened to be overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe’s imminent departure. Luis Enrique has proven himself to be the perfect man for the job, at a time when the club is moving away from the “Galacticos” era, when it invested heavily in star players, and the Spaniard is not afraid of making unpopular choices in order to achieve his goals.

He inherited a squad undergoing major changes, with the departures of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Marco Verratti, while Mbappe and the club fell out before the season started over his refusal to renew his contract.

Mbappe was soon reinstated, but in February the forward informed the club he would be leaving at the end of this season, leaving the coach with a tricky situation to handle.

The former Barcelona boss has had no problem in benching Mbappe, or replacing him during games, and has stamped his authority on the club, making it clear that no player is more important than PSG.

They made a slow start, winning two of their first five league games, but once they got into gear and took charge domestically, PSG have switched focus to Europe, and have remained unbeaten in the league since their one loss in September.

Luis Enrique has spent much of the season experimenting. He tried different formations, moved players out of position, and announced surprising starting teams, and while the league title could have been wrapped up earlier, nobody is complaining.

While the experiments have not always paid off, his side are still on course for a treble, or a quadruple if you include the Trophee des Champions they won by beating Toulouse in January.

The former Barca boss has had no problem in benching Mbappe, or replacing him during games, and has stamped his authority on the club