Players or coaches?

Luis Enrique's formidable success with PSG, without Mbappé, has sparked another debate: What is more important to a team's success: the players or the coaches? The Asturian coach was very clear when the French star left: "Now I'll be able to control everything," he said . Kylian played wherever he wanted, and that prevented him from imposing the tactical rigor Luis Enrique sought. Without the current Real Madrid striker, Paris has won its first Champions League in history, and it's starting to be heard in the talk shows that the coaches are more important than the players. As usual, the nuances are missing.

Luis Enrique has won two Champions League titles. One with FC Barcelona in Berlin, with a forward line featuring Messi, Suárez, and Neymar, and another in Munich (also in Germany) with Doué, Dembelé, and Kvaratskhelia. On the one hand, great stars with boundless talent, and on the other, great footballers with more disciplined strategy. In both European Cups, Luis Enrique has had excellent players. Just as Guardiola had Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, and Messi with Barça , or Rúben Dias, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, and Håland with Manchester City. You can't win a Champions League title without excellent footballers.

The debate between who is more important cannot be done in an extreme way without nuances.

Is it possible to do it with a mediocre coach? Difficult. But not impossible. There's always been a question hanging in the air that no one has dared to answer definitively: What would Luis Enrique, Guardiola, or Ancelotti do with a squad like Valladolid's , which finished last in La Liga this season? They wouldn't be European champions. Another issue is the money invested. The squads on which the most money has been spent don't guarantee success. But you can't win anything if you don't have good players.

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Coaches aren't just there to accompany. This year, Luis Enrique has been a clear example of hard work and effort, of improving the performance of players, such as Dembélé . No one can deny the coach his share of glory. But in the debate between extremes, or one or the other, excellent players are essential. Not the most expensive. The best. They must be well-managed, of course. But a lesser coach can make a team of extraordinary players champions, and a sensational manager can't make the bottom team of any major European league European champions. Grays, grays always prevail between dazzling white or black. To each his own. The key is having the best players to realize a good idea. That goes together. And hunger. That the team, coach, staff, and players, don't have their stomachs full of sweetened titles.

Luis Enrique is very great. And he has chosen very well.