The Parisians’ attitude was summed up by Dembele – an expensive misfit at Barcelona who has been fashioned into a Ballon d’Or winner by Luis Enrique – celebrating winning a tackle as wildly as he did his goal.
If any image summed up the transformation wrought by PSG’s head coach, this was it.
And Luis Enrique’s side did not have an easy ride in Munich. Far from it.
Bayern, roared forward by their magnificent support after a pre-match build-up worth of a rock concert, were relentless – albeit frustrated – opponents, who produced quality of their own.
Not for one moment did Kompany’s side give up on somehow unsettling this magnificent PSG team. They just came up against superior operators.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, working as a TNT Sports pundit, said: “A couple of years ago they had prima donnas, egos in the team but [Luis Enrique] wasn’t having it.
“He pushed them aside and built a team on work-rate and principles. This team could dominate for years to come. They are that good.”
Until the final whistle, PSG’s players were running as hard as they did at the start. Every one of them. Any dangerous Bayern balls into the box found a barrier, and sometimes several, blocking the way.
This is what Arsenal and Arteta must find a way to navigate past in Budapest.
The Gunners’ task, in its simplest terms, is to beat the team that are unquestionably the best in Europe.
