Mbappé left PSG in the summer to join Real Madrid, marking the end of the Galacticos era.
The French team has long dominated its domestic league, but even having a variety of star-studded talents on its team did not bring it success in Europe.
That was partly because Messi, Neymar and Mbappé weren’t always available to play together, and when they were, it didn’t work out as often as expected.
The club now hopes that a change in identity will bring them the success in Europe that they have been missing.
That change has consisted of focusing on youth and, in their first game of the season against Le Havre, they started with three teenagers (Ibrahim Mbaye, 16 years old, Warren Zaire-Emery, 18, and Yoram Zague, 18) and only two older players 25 years old.
In the league, 22-year-old Bradley Barcola has taken a step forward in Mbappe’s absence. The striker has scored 10 goals in 12 games and is at the top of the scoring table.
However, they are yet to carry that form into the Champions League, going goalless in their four European appearances this season.
“There is a lot of pressure on Barcola,” said European soccer expert Mina Rzouki.
“We always focus on all of your stars. How important was it to have someone who can deliver on those goals under pressure?
“Is it good that they moved away from all that? It was necessary because of what happened in the locker room but maybe they need a balance.”
Mbappé is undoubtedly a big loss for PSG in terms of goals, having scored 256 of them in 308 appearances in all competitions in his six years at the club.
France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry said earlier this season that without Mbappé PSG has lost a bit of “magic” but now has more stability.
“I think they’re a team,” Henry told CBS Sports Golazo. “They are a little more stable, less counterattacks. But they still lost Mbappé.
“It’s very difficult. For example, in a game like that [the 1-1 draw with PSV last month]Kylian can turn it into a 2-1 or a winning goal towards the end – a magical moment. He can turn it around.
“You lost a little magic, but the team seems a little more solid in terms of balance.”
