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PSG survive Aston Villa scare, eye Champions League glory amid new strategic shift

Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between Aston Villa FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park on April 15, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

16 Apr 2025

It was not pretty, but Paris Saint-Germain are into the semifinals of the Champions League at the expense of Aston Villa. The French side strongly believe that they can finally win the European club competition.

Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) dream of a maiden European Champions League title remains on track after they scraped into the semifinals of the competition with a 5-4 aggregate win over England’s Aston Villa.

Having won the first leg 3-1 a week ago, the Parisians travelled to Birmingham with the aim of finishing off the job emphatically. However, Villa and their raucous supporters handed the perennial French champions a major reality check after defeating them 3-2 in the reverse fixture.

It was a defeat that laid bare some of the weaknesses of the PSG team, with Arsenal or Real Madrid waiting to exploit them in the last four.

Not good enough

“We thought we were too good. At 2-1, we thought we were already qualified and that it was over. That’s how the Champions League goes. You face teams whose supporters are as hot as that, and they can turn the game on its head,” said the team’s talisman, Ousmane Dembélé.

“We will have to be more demanding in the semifinals. This match will serve us well for the future. We’ve qualified, we’re happy. We’ll get back to work,” Dembélé added.

“It wasn’t our best game, that’s clear,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said. “But what I saw was a team that suffered together. And that’s new.”

Despite dropping the ball in the reverse fixture versus Villa, PSG remain one of the two favourites as they bid to win their first Champions League title. Barcelona, who also stumbled with a 5-3 aggregate success over Borussia Dortmund, slightly edge the Parisians on the favourites list.

Luis Enrique, the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo: Dan Mullan / Getty Images)

Hansi Flick, the head coach of FC Barcelona. (Photo: Alex Grimm / Getty Images)

PSG mentor Enrique has played down his team’s label as one of the favourites to clinch the trophy, which the club’s Qatari owners have coveted for well over a decade now.

“Favourites? The road to the Champions League is paved with favourite teams that were eliminated,” Enrique said.

Indeed, teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool would have fancied finding themselves in the latter stages of Europe’s premier club competition. However, they’ve been dumped out and are currently watching from home.

In any case, all four teams that make it into the semifinals will harbour a tangible belief that they can be crowned European champions, so there is no room for complacency.

Strategic change

Despite the exuberant amount of money that has been pumped into the club by its current Qatari owners since 2011, European glory has proved beyond reach for PSG. The closest the Parisians have come to winning the Champions League was in the 2019/20 campaign, when they reached the final. They were beaten 1-0 by the same Bayern in Lisbon.

Since the arrival of Enrique in 2023, PSG’s hierarchy has adopted a fresh approach in their chase for the crown jewel of their Paris project. Instead of targeting established big-name players such as Kylian Mbappé, Brazilian Neymar and legend Lionel Messi, the French giants have opted to recruit potential.

From former Rennes teenager Désiré Doué, to players such as Bradley Barcola, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho — PSG have splurged on some of Europe’s best prospects over the past two years. There are also experienced campaigners such as Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi and Dembélé to guide the youngsters.

“Everyone in the football world has seen and admired the development of the Paris Saint-Germain team in this new era — with our (new) philosophy based on the collective above all,” said PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Désiré Doué of Paris Saint-Germain controls the ball while under pressure from John McGinn of Aston Villa during their Champions League second leg match at Villa Park on 15 April 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Dan Istitene / Getty Images)

Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 15 April 2025. (Photo: Dan Istitene / Getty Images)

Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona 10 years ago, is knitting the team together admirably. This is a far more sustainable approach, without compromising on quality, which is something Enrique highlighted after his team’s progression to the semis.

“I have the best squad in the world, not only the goalkeeper (Gianluigi Donnarumma). When you are in a club like PSG, you have a lot of quality players,” Enrique stated.

Of course, just like his predecessors, the Spanish tactician will not be judged on domestic success. At home PSG are bullies due to their vast resources. Hence, the barometer for the team’s potency and success is how well they perform in European competition.

The team’s captain Marquinhos believes the scene is set for him and his teammates to finally bring the Champions League to France for the first time since Marseille’s success in 1993.

“It is such a difficult competition. But we are getting better and better, and we are proving we are a good team. There is belief that we can go all the way and win it this year,” Marquinhos said. DM

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Not good enough

Strategic change