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Their respect for each other is endearing, but the fire in the contest between the two batters was anything but

Annesha Ghosh24-May-2022Shafali Verma is pacing towards Harmanpreet Kaur as the Supernovas captain trudges towards the dugout after a momentum-shifting 51-ball 71. The 18-year-old Velocity opener then extends her arm, clutches Harmanpreet’s palm in a homie handshake, grins in appreciation, pats on her back, and walks off.If brand India Women ever needed a hero shot for a marketing campaign on its explosive batters or, more specifically, the passing of the baton in this regard, this sequence between Shafali and Harmanpreet might be a worthy choice.Related

• Shafali shifts focus to strike rotation with an eye on constructing longer innings

• Sune Luus bats for expansion of T20 franchise cricket: 'Important to know different players and different conditions'

• Final berth at stake as Trailblazers look to win big in final league game

• Quick fifties from Verma, Wolvaardt give Velocity opening win

• Pooja Vastrakar once again proves she is the X-factor

Even more fitting was the fact that these moments played out during the Women’s T20 Challenge. It was, after all, the second edition of this tournament that catapulted Shafali into India reckoning almost overnight, in 2019. An international debut materialised soon after, not to mention under Harmanpreet’s captaincy, during a record-breaking seven-month period that culminated in the big-hitting Shafali almost singlehandedly steering Harmanpreet’s India to their first-ever T20 World Cup final, in March 2020.The bonhomie on view between the two India team-mates at Pune’s MCA Stadium on Tuesday was endearing. The fire in the contest between the two batters, though, was anything but. Set 151 to win their season opener, Velocity opener Shafali had a task on hand: Go big or watch Supernovas saunter to a fourth straight final of a tournament in its fourth season.No team in the Women’s T20 Challenge had successfully chased that big a total before. And the failure to do so on the day would have shoved Velocity into a must-win situation – and on the same boat as defending champions Trailblazers – for the third and final round-robin game of the four-match competition.But Shafali understood the assignment. So, she took on the No. 1-ranked white-ball bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, the second ball of the chase and refused to relent – against Ecclestone, offspinner V Chandu, and pacers Meghana Singh and Pooja Vatsrakar – ever since. All 10 of Shafali’s boundaries, a six included, came against this pack of four. Each of them ended up conceding at a rate of 144 or more against her as she galloped to the fastest fifty – off just 30 balls – in the tournament’s brief history.Shafali Verma smashed a 30-ball half-century•BCCI”I took some learnings from the first innings [of the day] – which areas were easier to access and which weren’t,” Shafali said to the host broadcaster after Velocity’s seven-wicket win. “I was especially wary of the direction of the wind, so I chose my strokes accordingly.”I have worked very hard on them [shots in the third region that required deft touch rather than brute force] over a while and there are two or three more shots that I have in my repertoire and would like to convert in the next game.”Velocity captain Deepti Sharma, who made 24 in an unbroken, match-clinching stand with South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, described Shafali’s “fantastic” innings as a turning point in the game. Wolvaardt, who shared a 14-ball 11 stand with Shafali, was equally effusive in her praise of the teen opener.”I really enjoyed it,” Wolvaardt said about Shafali’s aggressive approach that, she added, helped her ease into her unbeaten 51-run innings. “It was really nice for me to come in when there’s a set batter like that. Because, then, all that my role becomes is just getting her on strike. So, it’s an easy way for me to get into my innings when I have someone like that at the other end. I’m glad we were able to bat together for a little bit today.”She’s probably the most chilled batter that I’ve ever met. So it’s really cool to hear how she goes about her game,” Wolvaardt said when asked if she has shared any notes on batting with Shafali in the dressing room. “She’s just really relaxed, really backs her skills and knows what our options are. I think I need to do a bit more of that sometimes. Sometimes, I overthink my game a little bit too much… Hopefully, I can take some learnings out of it (their interaction).”Her team-mates can’t get enough of Harmanpreet Kaur after she pulled off a stunning catch at short third man to send back Shafali Verma•BCCIThe only measure of discomfort Shafali showed during her knock, which underpinned a foundational 63-run second-wicket stand with Yastika Bhatia, was against Australia legspinner Alana King and West Indies medium-pacer Deandra Dottin. Motoring on after Dottin dropped her on 35 at point off Ecclestone, Shafali, on the insistence of her partner, Wolvaardt, took the DRS and survived a close call, overturning an on-field lbw decision that had initially gone in King’s favour when Shafali was on 49.Shafali, however, was only able to extend her stay by another six balls. Stopping her on her march was Harmanpreet, who plucked the ball mid-air, with both hands, at short third when Shafali tried to make room and glide it off Dottin. The blinder was one of the two catches Player of the Match Harmanpreet, by far the best fielder in the Indian side, took on the day. The first, of the other opener, Natthakan Chantam’s, had come earlier in the innings, with Harmanpreet looking every bit the captain on a mission to seal Supernovas’ entry into the final.With the bat, to that end, she had already done her bit. Equal parts circumspect and alive to opportunities, Harmanpreet steadied Supernovas’ ship with her first fifty of this edition. En route what was also her highest score in the tournament yet, she relied heavily on the sweep, using possibly every variation of the shot in the book – including the reverse option, albeit sparingly – to good effect. With Taniya Bhatia, she added 82 off 63 and then a 28-ball 28 with Sune Luus, making good on her intent to score quickly and sizably in the death, as she had made clear the previous evening.Having walked in when her side was 18 for 3 in the fourth over, Harmanpreet departed after bringing Supernovas to the safety of 138 in the final ball of the 19th over. For the batter who top-scored in their win against Trailblazers less than 18 hours ago, it was fitting she walked back to the dugout to a standing ovation from her team-mates and highlights-worthy gesture of appreciation from a player almost half her age, but nearly an equal in pluck and pyrotechnics.

The preparations and the processes that have brought together their best Under-19 players

Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom07-Feb-2020For the Bangladesh Under-19 side, making the World Cup final was always the plan. Akbar Ali, their captain, said so in as many words before the tournament began and as the competition progressed, each game has vindicated them. Here’s a look at the steps they took since the last Under-19 World Cup.The preparationsThe plan to create a World Cup winning squad began a week after their quarter-final loss at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. At the forefront of that was former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud, then the technical director of cricket and now in charge of the country’s developmental system, who created a plan that went 24 months into the future. The first thing the team needed was more experience away from home. The second was a core group that stayed the same through the period.”The main secret is we’ve played so much cricket,” Mahmud told ESPNcricinfo. “The BCB has arranged so many tours – England and New Zealand for starters. We played 30-plus games, won 18 of them.ALSO READ: Mahmudul takes big step towards becoming Bangladesh’s ‘Wall'”We didn’t chop and change the squad for the last two years. From an Under-17 team in 2018, we selected a set of 20 players, from where we’ve picked the 15. Being together, they’ve matured and learnt their roles in depth.”The switch happened last World Cup after realising that we were losing matches due to our inexperience in key moments. We didn’t bowl and bat well in the final overs. So when we appointed [former Sri Lanka batsman] Naveed Nawaz as the coach, we made foreign tours a priority. We made the board understand if we don’t play overseas, the team will be stuck at a level. The board said, ‘no, we’ll support you.'”That strong Under-17 squad was the result of a paradigm shift in how the BCB has approached the sport in the past few years, going beyond the traditional cricketing centers in the country.The processFour years ago, the BCB made a plan to give the sport an equal footing in all 64 districts of the country. They organised tournaments across three levels – Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 – to identify 45 players from each age group. Those 45 – a total of 135 players – were then split into three teams to take part in annual triangular tournaments. From the triangulars, the BCB handpicked a group of 15 that would receive a deeper focus.”Now you see, most of our boys in the senior team are from the rural areas, like Mustafizur Rahman. Even in this Under-19 squad, there are just two boys from Dhaka,” Mahmud says. “Because of the way we are organising cricket at the Under-14, Under-16 levels, nobody gets lost in the system. Everyone is being tracked.”Parents don’t need any convincing, they want their kids to play cricket – even in the rural areas. They think if their boy can play good cricket, he can earn good money just by domestic cricket, let alone international. Seeing Shakib [Al Hasan] and Tamim [Iqbal], parents know there’s a future. It’s helping us lose much lesser cricketers.”Over the years, Bangladesh have been known as a unit that crumbles when the occasion is big. In 2018 alone, the senior team lost three finals, two of them on the last ball to India: the Asia Cup in Dubai and the Nidahas Tri-Series in Colombo. Not to forget that narrow one-run loss against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup. It happened once in the Under-19 level too, when in the Asia Cup final five months ago, Bangladesh had bowled India out for only 106 in a 50-over game and then crumbled for 101 in 33 overs. Mahmud acknowledges the problem and explains what’s different at this World Cup.”Mental strength has come from two years’ practice,” he says. “If you see our batting, they are not batting hurriedly. When they get set, they know how to play when wickets are in hand, how to pace the innings. Even though they’ve won a lot of games, they have picked up lessons from their losses.”In the top five, everyone is among the runs. Someday Tanzid Hasan will score, on other days Towhid Hridoy will score. Mahmudul Hasan had a lean run, but because we continued to back him, he delivered with a hundred in the semi-final.”Even as a bowling unit, we have looked to not be one-dimensional. Fast bowling and legspin have been two key points in us coming forward. To play the top teams you need quality and varied bowlers, both with the new and the old ball. The boys have worked hard under Champaka Ramanayake, the Sri Lankan fast bowling coach at the academy. In four-five years, you’ll see a revolution in fast bowling.”Because we couldn’t arrange a tour of South Africa in 2018 and 2019, we came to this country a month before the tournament. The bounce of the wickets was a bit high, so we took our time to get used to it. We played four practice games even before the warm-ups.”The Bangladesh players and support staff celebrate with a victory jig•ICC via GettyThe personnelStrength and conditioning coach of the Under-19 team, Richard Stoinier, who has previously worked with the Afghanistan and Pakistan cricket boards, says: “The boys have had a lifestyle change. The one-percenters they’re doing, they’re willing to do it even when they’re not playing cricket. We’ve developed agility drills that athletes do in soccer and American football. They’ve become leaner and faster, getting closer to the global standards athletes in the west adhere to. They focus as much on recovery as they do on practice – it’s a total shift.”Mahmud, however, believes what happens on the field makes up for only 50% of the team’s success. Off the field, the players have been taken care of by Bangladeshi members of the community. Overall, it’s a happy, satisfied environment in South Africa.”I will give thanks to the management team – Shajul Chaudhary and Kawsar, our manager here,” Mahmud says. “The boys don’t want to eat steaks every day, so they have arranged food from outside. If you aren’t satisfied with what you’re eating then your mind won’t work. Some guys want rice and curries, so on most days we have arranged meals that will keep our boys happy.”You need to play good cricket on the field, but off-the-field ethics are important. They are like their sons. They look after them like their children. When you’re abroad, you miss your family, you know Akbar suffered a loss in his family, but they mentally boosted him up.”The road aheadAll those years of planning and preparation now boil down to one match – the final against defending champions India on Sunday. Reaching the final itself has been historic for Bangladesh. Mahmud says that players in the senior team have already gotten inspired by the juniors, irrespective of how the final turns out.”For years we knew we aren’t any lesser than the big national teams, but now we have proof in the form of results,” he says. “As BCB, we have also learnt that if we give what the players need, they can do wonders.”We can develop future teams from this template. The women’s team, other Under-19s, senior teams – each of them. Win or lose the final, we won’t let our successes be determined by one result on the cricket field.”Even if they don’t win, I won’t be unhappy. You should see how the country got boosted by their performances. We are a very small country, with little facilities, and the way they have played their cricket, we are very happy.”

The Houston Astros appear to be wasting little time after losing All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to injury.

The Astros are acquiring third baseman Ramon Urias from the Baltimore Orioles, according to a Wednesday night report from Jon Heyman of the . Urias, 31, is slashing .248/.300/.388 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs this season.

Urias is primarily known for his defense; he's turned more double plays this year than any other American League third baseman. In 2022, he won a Gold Glove for his defensive work, registering 1.9 defensive bWAR for the first winning Orioles team in six years.

Houston outlets have reported Paredes may miss months with a hamstring injury after making his second All-Star team in his first year with the Astros. He has not played since July 19.

His squad, despite a raft of injuries this season, leads the Seattle Mariners by 4.5 games in the American League West division.

Opener Shafali Verma on Sunday reflected on the challenges she faced over the past year, saying consistent hard work and focus helped her bounce back and play a key role in India’s historic World Cup win.Picked as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal, the 21-year-old was named Player of the Final for scoring 87 runs and taking 2 for 36 in India’s 52-run win over South Africa.”The last year was tough for me. I faced many struggles, but I kept working hard and was rewarded by God for my effort,” Shafali told reporters after a felicitation event in Rohtak, Haryana.Related

• A culmination for India Women, a beginning for India's women

• BCCI to give India women INR 51 crore cash prize for World Cup win

• The night Shafali Verma defied her destiny, and then owned it

Shafali was called into the Indian squad on the eve of the semi-final against Australia. Though she could not make a big impact in that match, she delivered in the final, guiding India to a commanding total and then contributing with the ball.”When I joined the team ahead of the semi-final, I was determined to contribute to the World Cup win,” she said. “The final is always a big stage. Initially, I was a bit nervous, but I calmed myself, focused on my strategy, and executed it well. That helped me deliver an all-round performance.”After returning to Rohtak, Shafali received a warm welcome from fans and local officials. Speaking to young girls in attendance, she encouraged them to stay focused on their goals.”They should always work hard in whatever field they choose and have self-belief, the results will follow,” she said.The Indian team made history by clinching their first global title, overcoming an inconsistent start to the tournament. India had lost three consecutive matches in the league stage before staging a turnaround in the knockouts.Shafali, who has often credited batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as her role model, also acknowledged her family’s constant support throughout her journey.Reflecting on the final, she said, “I tried to stay calm and execute my plans, and things went as expected. The only thought was that we had to give our all in those seven hours for our country.”She said she had no regrets about missing a century, adding that lifting the World Cup was more important.

اتضحت هوية العديد من الفرق التي حسمت تأهلها إلى دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس مصر في نسختها الجديدة موسم 2025/2026. 

وفاز فريق إنبي على نظيره المقاولون العرب، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين على ملعب بتروسبورت، في دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس مصر. 

طالع.. فيديو | إنبي يخطف فوزًا قاتلًا أمام المقاولون العرب ويتأهل لدور الـ16 من كأس مصر

وبدأت مباريات دور الـ32 من كأس مصر يوم الخميس  الموافق 27 من شهر نوفمبر الجاري، حيث أقيمت 3 مباريات في هذا اليوم. 

 تمكن فريق سموحة من الفوز على غزل المحلة بثلاثية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين على ملعب الإسكندرية. 

فاز البنك الأهلي برباعية مقابل هدف على بور فؤاد، على ملعب السلام، كما فاز فريق بتروجيت على وادي دجلة بهدف دون رد، على ملعب بتروسبورت. 

وانتصر فريق كهرباء الإسماعيلية على الاتحاد السكندري، بهدف دون رد، على ملعب الإسكندرية.

 فاز فريق فاركو على فريق تليفونات بني سويق بثنائية نظيفة، وفاز إنبي على المقاولون بهدف دون رد في الحظات الأخيرة، وتأهل حرس الحدود بعد الفوز أمام الإسماعيلي بنتيجة 3-1، كما حجز فريق طلائع الجيش مكانه في دور الـ 16 بالفوز على السكة الحديد 2-0.

وتأهل الجونة إلى دور الستة عشر بعد الفوز على بترول أسيوط بهدفين مقابل هدف.

ويتبقي عددًا من المباريات في دور الـ 32، لم تقام حتي الآن، إذا لم يحدد اتحاد الكرة المصري مواعيد تلك المواجهات، التي يعد أبرزها مباراة الأهلي ضد المصرية للاتصالات والزمالك ضد بلدية المحلة. الفرق المتأهلة إلى دور الـ 16 من كأس مصر

سموحة.

البنك الأهلي.

بتروجيت.

كهرباء الإسماعيلية. 

فاركو.

إنبي.

حرس الحدود.

طلائع الجيش.

الجونة.

(الأهلي أو المصرية للاتصالات).

(الزمالك أو بلدية المحلة).

(المصري أو دكرنس).

(مودرن سبورت أو القناة).

(بيراميدز أو مسار).

(سيراميكا كليوباترا أو أبو قير للأسمدة).

(نادي زد أو نادي جي).

The USAC-ACE contract termination has created uncertainty around USA’s preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup as well as the future of the MLC

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Sep-2025USA Cricket’s decision to terminate its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), its primary commercial partner, which is also the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC) – has left USA’s players “extremely affected” while dealing with uncertainty about their future. According to USA allrounder Corey Anderson, who is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association (USCA), the players fear that cricket in the country could be derailed if ACE pulls out.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who moved to the USA and became eligible to play for them in 2023, suggested that ACE had been integral to the development of cricket in the USA for the past several years having invested in both Minor League Cricket and the MLC, which is now three seasons old.Related

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ACE takes USA Cricket to court as power struggle intensifies

MLC parent company calls its agreement termination by USA Cricket 'unlawful' and 'wrongful'

“I guess the termination of this contract between USAC and ACE just leaves players in a limbo and in a scenario where they are now so uncertain of their futures,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo on a call from his home in Dallas. “And this is something that they’re extremely affected by in the way that they earn a living. How long does this last for? What does future seasons of Major League or Minor League or anything like that – what does that start to look like from that regard?”Apart from the significant sums of money it spends to conduct cricket in the country, ACE is also the backbone of cricketing operations in the USA. ACE owns the ground that houses the High Performance Centre at Grand Prairie in Dallas, Texas, holds exclusive license to the ground in Morrisville, has agreements with Broward County in Florida, and owns two drop-in pitches at the Oakland Coliseum, which made its debut during the 2025 MLC.As part of a long-term deal inked in 2019, ACE is contracted to funnel a minimum of USD 1.2 million annually to the USAC to cover the contracts of the national team including support staff. A failure to pay out that money consistently, the USAC has claimed, was one of the breaches that led to the termination of the contract. ACE strongly disputes this, claiming it has actually paid more than the agreed amount.Another thing that bothers Anderson, in case the standoff continues, is its potential impact on several important events leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is set to be played in February-March in India and Sri Lanka with USA among the 20 participating teams. In consultation with USAC, ACE had planned a high-performance camp for 35 top men’s players with trial matches – three 50-over games and three T20s – in Morrisville against West Indies A.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association•Major League CricketThe objective of this camp was to identify the best players for the T20 World Cup as well as prepare the team for World Cricket League 2 in October, which is USA’s qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup. ACE is also meant to be hosting the USA Women’s team at the HPC in Grand Prairie along with five-match T20 series against West Indies in October-November.”Is that all still taking place or not? These camps have to take place for the players to get ready for those things,” Anderson said. “All of those things are very much in a big question mark at the moment, which again just creates more uncertainty around the players. And effectively anything that goes on regarding those contracts ends up ultimately just affecting the players.”It’s just throwing a question mark on what players don’t know and their uncertainty around even that, which is again so unfortunate, because we’re in a space now with USA [where cricket] is growing and it’s growing very fast, and there’s a lot of money getting put into it and a lot of investment. But again [as things now stand], for what? Because players are now disrupted, unsure of what they need to do, unsure of where they’re going, and what their future looks like.”Has USAC written to the players since the public termination of the ACE contract? Not yet, according to Anderson. He pointed out that while the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) recognizes USACA, USAC doesn’t. “We haven’t heard anything from USAC,” he said. “Again, I do want to establish that we aren’t recognized by USA Cricket, so in terms of being bound by anything, they do not have to say anything to us. But again, it would be very neglectful of them not to inform the players’ association considering we do have majority of the members [players] of Major League Cricket and in fact we have the majority of the USA national team as our members. And so when we speak up and get into bargaining discussions and things like that, we are doing it for them. It’s a players’ union run by the players.”Anderson said he had personally not reached out to any USA players, although there had been several discussions between players during the ongoing Minor League, where he plays for Dallas Kings Eleven. “I have not been in touch with any of the players because at the moment we don’t have any information to provide those players. If they’ve been provided information, that hasn’t been given back to us or given to any other players. This is where things can get pretty messy, because it starts becoming a little bit of the whispers start going around, and the rumour mill starts up, and [nobody knows] what’s actually true and what’s correct. And everyone’s a little bit unsure of what that actually looks like. So again, it’ll be nice to hear from the governing body [USAC] itself and understand what it looks like.”We’re currently in the middle of Minor League at the moment, so there are a lot of players asking what’s happening. Text messages, phone calls, what does this look like for Major League and our World Cup preparation? Minor League is currently running, but what does the future of that look like? Is this going to continue? So again, messages that unfortunately don’t have any answers.”According to USAC chairman Venu Piske, ‘it’s too early to make any assumptions’ about the future of the MLC•Sportzpics for MLCUSAC open to ‘renegotiate’ and ‘sanction’ 2026 MLCVenu Piske, the USAC chairman, said he understood the concerns raised by Anderson, and added that players would always be the priority. “I certainly can understand the sensitivity and also the players may have some concerns,” Piske said. “It’s understandable, but players are our No. 1 priority without any doubt. We have made sure we take care of players in all situations even when we are getting our funding as per the contract from ACE, or not getting the funding.”Piske said while there remained outstanding issues to sort out with ACE, USAC would not overlook players’ welfare including the financial aspect. Piske said USAC had given out 15 national contracts, which he said were the highest number offered in the board’s history. Piske said he could understand players being concerned about the future of MLC, and whether it would happen next season, but remained optimistic, saying USAC were open to “renegotiate” with ACE and even “sanction” the next season.”I know there may be some concerns around what’s going to happen with MLC, that’s understandable, but it’s too early to make any assumptions. As per our communication to ACE at the time of termination, we are committed to renegotiate on different terms because the current terms they [ACE] have not met; we always had a friction environment for the last six years, but considering their [ACE’s] commitment and investment to MLC, we are open to even sanction MLC while this is going on or we are open to some agreeable terms to resolve this.”MLC CEO Johnny Grave said ACE was not in breach of any terms in the original agreement and said it was focused on continuing to support USA Cricket. “We are fully compliant with our agreement with USAC and we continue to work to build all aspects of cricket in America.”According to Anderson, the best solution ought to involve ACE, without whose support he felt USA Cricket cannot provide a “premium product”. A “resolution sooner rather than later”, Anderson said, would benefit not just the game in the USA, but also reassure players that they have a secure future. “It needs to be anything that’s going to benefit the players in terms of just answers that will give us some suggestion that the future of the game here in the States is going to continue to be invested in and continue to grow, and players understand that they have a way of earning a living and being able to play quality cricket here again,” he said. “With the runway of what the USA team specifically has in terms of a World Cup and then an Olympics in 2028, those are massive markers for USA cricket to be able to hit. And I don’t see a world in which they can provide a premium product or quality of product without funding from ACE.”

After Paris Saint-Germain hard-fought 3-2 win over Lyon, manager Luis Enrique hinted at possible January transfer activity but admitted that “very few players” could actually improve the reigning European champions. While praising the team’s resilience and Warren Zaire-Emery’s growing influence, Enrique stressed the need for defensive refinement, even as PSG’s new wage model and sustainable transfer strategy redefine how the club operates.

PSG edge Lyon in tense encounter as Enrique calls for ‘resilience’

PSG reclaimed the top spot in Ligue 1 after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Lyon, sealed by Joao Neves’ stoppage-time header. The contest, filled with quick goals and controversy, showcased PSG’s offensive sharpness but also exposed defensive lapses that Enrique was quick to highlight.

The decisive moment came deep into injury time when Neves converted a corner to give PSG the win, moments after Lyon’s Nicolas Tagliafico was sent off for a reckless challenge on Vitinha, a decision that sparked post-match protests from Lyon players and staff.

Speaking after the match, Enrique said, “Resilience is what I wanted to see. We fought until the end, but we need to defend better. Both goals came from poor alignment. You can’t push the line up when there’s no pressure on the ball.” Despite defensive flaws, he commended his squad’s mentality and composure in closing out the win.

AdvertisementAFPEnrique hints at January plans

Addressing questions about the upcoming January transfer window, Enrique struck a measured tone. He reaffirmed that PSG are “always open to strengthening,” but emphasised the difficulty of finding players capable of elevating an already elite squad. “Reinforcing a team of this quality is very difficult. There are very few players who can truly strengthen this team,” he said.

"We have complete confidence in our current players. We won't make any signings if someone else thinks we need them. We clearly hope to have a well-thought-out team and a balanced squad. There are many young players who can develop and contribute even more."

Among potential targets, PSG have been linked with Barcelona’s Eric Garcia, a player Enrique knows well from his time as Spain’s manager. PSG are reportedly preparing a €5 million winter bid, though Barcelona remain hesitant to sell. The 24-year-old’s tactical intelligence and composure on the ball fit Enrique’s possession-oriented system, particularly given injuries to key defenders like Achraf Hakimi.

PSG building smarter, not flashier

Under sporting director Luis Campos, PSG have undergone a major philosophical shift. Gone are the days of splashy, high-salary signings; the club now focuses on sustainable spending and versatile players who fit Enrique’s tactical model. Campos has worked to flatten the wage structure, introducing merit-based pay tied to performance and appearances rather than star status.

Campos explained that the new policy ensures “you earn more when you deserve it, when you play.” This change was central to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure in summer 2025, as his salary demands exceeded the club’s revised framework. Campos defended the decision, stating, “Donnarumma wanted a PSG that no longer exists. The club is now more important than any player.”

The result is a leaner, more cohesive squad built around tactical flexibility. Even without marquee transfers, PSG maintain depth across positions and rely on internal development to sustain success. The approach reflects a broader modernisation trend in elite football, where financial discipline and squad balance outweigh individual star power.

Campos and Enrique’s collaboration ensures that signings now serve a clear tactical purpose, a stark contrast to the past era of impulse buys driven by branding and marketing value.

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AFPPSG’s new balance hangs on success, sustainability, and long-term vision

PSG’s victory over Lyon underscored the balance the club is striving for, excellence on the pitch paired with responsibility off it. Despite injuries and fixture congestion, the team remains competitive at the top of Ligue 1 and continues to show resilience in crunch moments.

Coach Enrique, while pleased with the win, maintains that PSG “must keep improving,” particularly in defensive transitions. His emphasis on structure, discipline, and adaptability mirrors the club’s broader off-field restructuring under Campos.

After the Lyon match, Enrique summed up the club’s direction succinctly: “We’re happy to be at the top, but it’s not enough. We want to play better, defend better, and grow together. The goal is not just to win, it’s to build something lasting.”