As one of Europe’s leading clubs, PSG often attract a very high calibre of manager as they continue to compete for the biggest honours at home and abroad.
As well as attracting the best players on the pitch, those making the footballing decisions at PSG are fully aware that these players also need to be coached by the best managers and they don’t cut any corners when recruiting staff for the dugout.
As well as competing for trophies, PSG also want to collect glory by playing football in an attractive manner, so they enhance their reputation and also provide value for money for their global fanbase.
Here, we’ll look at the people in charge at PSG, both past and present, as we aim to deliver a closer look at the PSG coaching structure.
Evolution of Coaching – Tracing PSG’s Strategic Journey
Owned by Qatari based group, QSI, since 2011, the dynamic shifted massively at this point as PSG became one of the wealthiest clubs in the world.
Often able to compete with French clubs in terms of talent and coaching, PSG were now able to go at it with the world’s leading clubs and they wasted no time aiming high as they brought in Carlo Ancelotti, a Champions League winner from his time at AC Milan.
Ancelotti was tasked with bringing the Champions League to PSG, but he was not able to do that and despite spending big money at the club and delivering league glory, he was replaced by Laurent Blanc.
With an impeccable reputation in French football, Blanc aimed to employ a more attacking approach than Ancelotti as he trusted his squad to deliver on the pitch via hard work.
Like Ancelotti, Blanc brought success at home, but he was unable to secure the Champions League and his run with the club ended in 2016 with Unai Emery coming in.
Famed for winning European competitions with ease during his time at Sevilla, it was believed that Emery would do the same with PSG, but his attacking approach didn’t work on the continent with the Paris club, and it was left to Thomas Tuchel to step in.
The German manager who had some success at Borussia Dortmund and in 2020, he was able to take PSG to their first Champions League final before they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich.
Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier were next in line and although were able to bring some success to PSG, the Champions League once again evaded them.
Now ith Luis Enrique in charge, a man who has won the Champions League with Barcelona, PSG are once again expected to go all out for club football’s biggest trophy.
With PSG often changing manager in pursuit of the grandest prize in football, their approach to success has often changed.
The pragmatic styles of Ancelotti and Emery have been countered by different approaches, but the end goal has always been the same for PSG in the QSI era, and that’s to win the Champions League.
Current Coaching Structure – Key Figures Behind the Bench
Luis Enrique is the current manager at PSG, and he’ll be hoping the success he’s had at other clubs such as Barcelona, can be repeated in the French capital.
Assisting Enrique is a team of staff that he knows very well and that have joined him at other managerial appointments.
Assistant coaches Rafel Pol and Aitor Unzue are Enrique’s trusted colleagues, and they have the task of being at the forefront of everything that is going on at PSG and making sure Enrique is fully aware of what is going on.
Leading sports psychologist Joaquin Valdes is also part of the team and he’ll spend plenty of time with the players as he assesses their mental state before each game.
Providing goalkeeping support to Enrique is Borja Alvarez. PSG have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Gianluigi Donnarumma and it’s up to Alvarez to ensure that the Italian stopper remains one of the game’s leading stoppers.
Tactical Approaches and Training Methods
After manging in many countries and also at international level, Enrique has proven beyond doubt that he is a flexible manager who is able to adapt.
His preferred set up of using 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 has stayed with him throughout his managerial run and his direct approach is also consistent compared to possession-based model that is currently dominant in the modern game.
As well as being a tactical thinker, Enrique is also eager to exert his authority at clubs and he’s proven that on numerous occasions when handling influential players such as Francesco Totti and Lionel Messi.
Beyond Tactics – Coaching Impact Beyond the Pitch
Enrique is no stranger to promoting youth to the first team and he’s relied on the knowledge of his coaching team to feed him information on when certain players will be ready.
In his current role at PSG, Enrique has leaned on young players on multiple occasions with Ethan Mbappe and Warren Zaire-Emery now a huge part of his plans.
PSG Fan Tokens are now available, and you can be a part of one of Europe’s most famous clubs
What are PSG Fan Tokens
A Socios.com Fan Token is a digital asset that transforms your passion into rewards. As a Fan Token holder, you have the potential to access once-in-a-lifetime experiences, exclusive benefits, and other perks for being what you’ve always been – a passionate fan. Fan Tokens empower you to vote in official team polls, predict results, check-in for games, play games, choose your favourite players and more while generating reward points that lead to extraordinary Fan Rewards.
PSG Fan Tokens Holder Benefits & Rewards
Fan Tokens empower you to reward your passion. Think of unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences like meeting the players, re-creating classic goals or even being a part of matchday in novel and exciting ways. You can win matchday tickets, VIP seats, behind-the-scenes access and more with your PSG Fan Tokens.
Score Incredible Fan Rewards
Fans earn Fan Rewards by engaging with the team on the Socios.com app. Each time you predict and check into matches, play in-app games or vote in polls, you’ll score points. These points tally and enable you to get SSU. SSU are your in-app loyalty tokens, and you’ll trade these in for Fan Rewards.
Fan Tokens have enabled fans to travel with the first team, win unique match used merchandize and even enjoy VIP matchday experiences with team legends. Are you ready to get rewarded for your loyalty?
Vote In Polls and Make Your Mark on PSG
Perhaps one of the most commonly used features on the Socios.com app is the voting system. Your Fan Tokens give you a say in your club. You’ll be able to pick shirt designs, stadium murals, official team merch and more. Whenever you use Fan Tokens, you always get to keep them, so keep impacting your side with your Fan Tokens.
Engage with PSG for Experience and Leaderboard Points
Use your Fan Tokens to score XP and LP on the Socios.com app. XP are experience points, gained every time you level up. LP are leaderboard points, and these stack in Team Leaderboards. Here, you’ll compete with fellow fans to win huge prizes when you rank at the end of the season!
Score points each time you:
- Vote in polls
- Check in to matches – do this each matchday to bag easy points!
- Predict the score – get maximum points for the perfect score, and score when you guess the outcome too
- Play in-app games, Freekick challenge and Pop & Swap.
How To Buy PSG Fan Tokens
- Download the Socios.com app and follow these three steps to get your first Corinthians Fan Tokens:
- Open the Socios.com app and tap on Wallet.
- Top up your Wallet with our in-app currency, Chiliz ($CHZ)
- Tap on Sports, tap on All Teams and then hit Football to filter out football teams. Then search for PSG and get your Fan Tokens using the $CHZ you just bought.
