Challenges Facing PSG at the Beginning of the Next Season: Upgraded Competition, Managing Player Fitness, and Defense Strategy
Paris Saint-Germain Kick Off 2025-2026 Season with Challenges Ahead
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is gearing up for the 2025-2026 season, a campaign that promises to be as demanding as it is exciting. The reigning UEFA Champions League winners are set to make their debut in the new season with only a few days of preparation, as they take on the European Super Cup just seven days after the resumption of play.
Last season, under the guidance of manager Luis Enrique, PSG clinched an impressive quadruple - the Champions Trophy, Ligue 1, French Cup, and Champions League. Only Real Madrid under Zidane has managed to retain the Champions League title since its inception 33 years ago.
The team's success has come at a cost, however. With engagements in six competitions, PSG will need to return to significant rotation at the start of the new season. New recruits, such as Illia Zabarnyi, a young defender acquired from AFC Bournemouth, will have to succeed in their integration, as they are quite inexperienced in the final phase of the Champions League.
Zabarnyi, who endorses the club's energetic and tactically sophisticated style, has expressed his excitement about contributing to PSG’s project. The team also retains a deep and talented squad approaching a treble-winning competitive level, though some players may consider moves amid strong interest from other top clubs, indicating a challenge in maintaining squad harmony and continuity.
The European Super Cup match will take place at Stadio Friuli d'Udine in Italy. PSG's season ended on August 13, 2025, with a victory in the European Super Cup against Tottenham.
As PSG's playing project for the 2025-2026 season is focused on a blend of youth integration, tactical energy, and squad depth aimed at dominating domestically and in Europe, key challenges include ensuring tactical cohesion with new and existing players, managing potential transfer speculation impacts, and contending with strong European competition.
Adaptation will be key for Luis Enrique to maintain PSG's success in the new season. The manager has shown the importance of managing freshness and rotating his squad, with a starting twelve emerging at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
However, PSG may need to learn to manage frustration if results do not meet expectations at the start of the season. The team fell from grace in the final of the Club World Cup in 2024-2025, a lesson that may serve as a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead.
PSG's captain, Marquinhos, has noted that other teams will study the team's strengths and weaknesses to try to beat them. The midfield options for PSG are not as numerous as they seem, with Vitinha, Ruiz, and Neves often replaced by Mayulu, Zaïre-Emery, and Lee.
In the goalkeeping department, Lucas Chevalier is expected to establish himself as the number one goalkeeper, with Gianluigi Donnarumma relegated to second place. Luis Enrique's aggression at the final whistle, whether a reaction in the heat of the moment or a real lack of control in case of defeat, remains a topic of discussion.
In summary, PSG's playing project for the 2025-2026 season is focused on a blend of youth integration, tactical energy, and squad depth aimed at dominating domestically and in Europe. The team will need to navigate challenges in squad management and sustaining top-level performance throughout a demanding calendar to defend their title and continue their success.
[1] Source: https://www.psg.fr/en/news/illia-zabarnyi-joins-psg
[3] Source: https://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/psg/psg-de-fortes-doutes-sur-les-departs-de-marquinhos-et-of-neymar-03-08-2025-9324940.php
[4] Source: https://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2821468.html
- Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as the Champions League winners, will participate in the 2025-2026 season with a focus on dominating both domestically and in European leagues, especially the Champions League, where new recruit Illia Zabarnyi, despite his inexperience, is eager to contribute to the team's project.
- The 2025-2026 season promises to be challenging for PSG, as they aim to defend their Champions League title and continue their success, while navigating the integration of new players, managing potential squad rotation due to engagements in six competitions, and competing against strong European teams, such as those in the Champions League.
