Demba Ba (40), a former striker who came up through the ranks in the Paris region and played for clubs including Hoffenheim, Newcastle, Chelsea, Besiktas, and Istanbul Basaksehir, was invited by Le Parisien to answer a few questions about Paris Saint-Germain ahead of their Champions League round of 16 second leg against Chelsea tonight. The former Senegalese international, now sporting director of Dunkerque (Ligue 2), took the opportunity to clearly address the questions surrounding PSG.
Ba: “Which team wants to face PSG?”
“Can PSG retain their title?
Yes, absolutely. They have the quality, they have the game. We’ll see how fresh they are physically and mentally. That’s been the question since the start of the season. Besides, what team wants to play PSG? When you face them, you don’t think, ‘Great! They’re tired, it’ll be fine.’ They’re a very difficult team to beat.
What are your thoughts on PSG’s project?
It’s been a very coherent project for several years now. When there’s alignment within a club between the owners, the management, the coaches, and the players, things fall into place. Their Champions League victory last year gave me a lot of hope as a young manager because I’ve always believed that success comes from creating a mindset, a team spirit, and a synergy between all parts of a club.
“We see consistency between the first team and the youth teams.”
A young player from PSG’s youth academy Can he really hope to break through?
Yes. Especially in the current PSG setup. Their coach likes to have young players, he doesn’t hesitate to give them confidence and playing time. Since he arrived, how many young players has he given their chance? It’s enormous.
Mayulu scored in the Champions League final, Zaïre-Emery is excelling, Ibrahim Mbaye is there even if he plays less because the senior players have returned. The Parisians will continue to rely on their youth academy. Having watched matches of the Youth League team, you can see consistency between the first team and the youth teams.”
Far removed from the doubts we often hear or read about PSG, the former striker brings the debate back to an interesting point, one that coach Luis Enrique sometimes mentions. Paris, even with its imperfections, particularly due to a difficult situation, remains a formidable team. One might well wonder who would be happy to face them this season.
Especially since the expected improvement seems to be happening, and the staff has undoubtedly planned the season this way in their player management. Reaching the level of the Champions League final will be difficult, but even slightly below it is still a sign of exceptional strength.
The team is well-built, the players are fully committed, know how to put in the effort, and the talent is undeniable. PSG can still be ambitious, even if there are always obstacles. Including opponents who obviously need to be respected.
As for the youth academy players, a recurring “concern,” Ba’s comments are refreshing. No criticism or unfounded doubt, rather the observation that PSG knows how to rely on its young players and that it is logically difficult to get regular playing time after coming through the academy. The academy is closely linked to the first team in terms of playing philosophy. An interesting point.
And coach Luis Enrique isn’t ruling anything out. However, one must accept the tough competition and fight for playing time. Those who want a guaranteed place wouldn’t have a place anyway under the Spanish coach, who always rejects that idea.
