PSG face pre-season crunch ahead of Super Cup clash against Tottenham

PSG returned to the PSG Campus in Poissy on August 6 with barely any time to recover from their record-breaking 2024/25 season.

The European champions, who claimed the Trophee des Champions, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and UEFA Champions League, finished their exhausting campaign on July 13 with a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

Now, Luis Enrique’s players are rushing to prepare for the European Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur on August 13, followed closely by the Ligue 1 opener against Nantes four days later.

The timing has left the squad with a pre-season that is far shorter than usual, forcing stars like Achraf Hakimi, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembele to build fitness under pressure.

Tottenham, who returned to training weeks ago and already played several friendlies, will arrive in Udine with a clear advantage over PSG.

For Enrique, the challenge is not only to compete but also to protect his players from the fatigue of a 65-match season that ended less than a month ago.

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Former PSG staff member wary off the French giants long season ahead of Tottenham clash

Alexandre Marles, who was previously head of performance at PSG, was blunt about the task facing Luis Enrique’s team ahead of the European Super Cup and the start of Ligue 1.

Speaking to L’Equipe [via Orange], Marles said the players have been off for more than 60 matches and have been completely disconnected from the competition for the last few weeks.

“They’re going to get players back after a long season, who have really decompressed, and that’s normal. And who have deconditioned themselves,” Marles said.

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“Imagining that this team will be ready next week against Tottenham or Nantes doesn’t make sense.

The basic preparation, necessary for a season with high objectives, will take place throughout August. PSG's objectives are later, so they will use the matches as work periods

With, no doubt, a lot of rotation. In the eleven but also a maximum turnover around the hour mark.”

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