PARIS (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique said his side had achieved “perfection” after thrashing Montpellier 6-0 on Friday to continue their strong start to life without Kylian Mbappe.
Bradley Barcola scored twice while Marco Asensio, Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lee Kang-in were also on target at the Parc des Princes for PSG.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions have now found the net 10 times in total while winning their opening two games of the season, suggesting the future is bright without departed star Mbappe.
“It was a perfect night,” Luis Enrique said.
“We had 16 stars tonight, all the players who took part. Sixteen stars in attack and in defence, that is perfection, and that is what we are looking for.”
PSG’s young team, featuring two teenagers in the starting line-up and a total of eight players aged between 18 and 25, played with verve and style, albeit against limited opposition.
There was a first start for 19-year-old Portugal midfielder Joao Neves, a close-season recruit from Benfica for a fee that could eventually reach EUR69.9 million (USD78.2 million).
Meanwhile Desire Doue, also 19 and a member of the France team that recently won Olympic silver, came on as a second-half substitute for his debut after joining from Rennes for an initial EUR50 million.
“I think in two games you can already see the profile of the players we have brought in,” added PSG’s Spanish coach.
“They are totally suited to our way of playing and I think they will all bring us a lot.”
He continued: “I am enjoying every training session with a very complete and versatile squad and players who are really eager to make history.”
PSG scored three late goals to win 4-1 at Le Havre last week as they began their defence of the title, but their performance here was far more accomplished and suggests they will take some beating as they chase an 11th French title in 13 seasons.
That is despite losing their all-time top scorer in Mbappe, but their overwhelming superiority compared to the opposition in Ligue 1 cannot be forgotten.
