From ego-ridden team to complete package - why PSG pose ultimate test

Breaking news from the world of sport: From ego-ridden team to complete package - why PSG pose ultimate test Figure caption, Late Bayern pressure not enough as PSG return to Champions League finalByPhil McNulty Chief football writerPublished3 minutes agoLuis Enrique's expertise at rebuilding a culture as well as a football team means Arsenal will confront the complete package when they meet Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final. "Shoot us into the final" was the slogan emblazoned on a giant banner unfurled by Bayern Munich's fans in an electric atmosphere on Wednesday, as their side tried to overturn a 5-4 deficit from the classic first leg in Paris. But it was PSG who obeyed the message, delivering a third-minute hammer blow when Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia raced down the wing before setting up Ousmane Dembele to lash a finish high past Manuel Neuer.

Harry Kane's late equaliser on the night could not even be described as a consolation, coming only seconds from the end. Moments later PSG were able to celebrate reaching a second successive final - and the chance to retain the crown they won so brilliantly by beating Inter Milan 5-0 last season. Luis Enrique danced on the Allianz Arena turf, as he did after the 2025 final, with PSG delivering the latest compelling evidence they must be counted among the great sides of recent memory.

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Arsenal will be confident in their first Champions League final for 20 years, but there is no escaping the fact they face a mammoth task on 30 May in Hungary. And that is because Gunners boss Mikel Arteta must overcome a master strategist and inspirational footballing architect in his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique. 'Mastermind who built PSG from ashes of superstars era'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Luis Enrique became Paris St-Germain manager in the summer of 2023Their Spanish coach is the mastermind of this new PSG, built from the ashes of the superstar era which saw Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar the centrepieces of a dysfunctional, ego-ridden outfit who never resembled a team.

Luis Enrique, who also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, ordered his players to park egos at the door - or jettisoned those who would not. In their place is the perfect combination of brilliant individual skill bolted on to a savage work ethic and defensive solidity that will make them a formidable hurdle for Arsenal to overcome. And the leader is Marquinhos.

The Brazil centre-half arrived at PSG from Roma in 2013, surviving Luis Enrique's cull of big names because the coach is wise enough to see a consummate professional and world-class defender when he sees one. He has formed a superb partnership with the formidable Willian Pacho, who played a key role in keeping Kane under wraps until the England captain's strike in the dying seconds.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.