Paris Saint-Germain was a formidable opponent. That was an undeniable fact!
Many people mocked this team as nouveau riche, but anyone who underestimated them was being irrational.
Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Lavezzi, Lucas Moura, Pastore, Matuidi, Verratti, Thiago Motta, Tiago Silva, David Luiz...
Never mind anything else. Just looking at this lineup of stars, across the entire European Football scene, it could be called the most luxurious and top-tier squad there was.
More importantly, Paris Saint-Germain's team-building strategy had always been pragmatic. Although they pursued the star effect, they placed great emphasis on balance. Whether attacking or defensive players, they were willing to spend lavishly. They could bring in a forward star like Ibrahimovic while also signing top defenders such as Tiago Silva and David Luiz.
In midfield, players like Verratti, Matuidi, Thiago Motta, and Pastore were also exceptionally strong.
This made Paris Saint-Germain's overall squad extremely complete. Stars anchored all three lines. At least on paper, there were genuinely very few flaws, making it incredibly difficult to find a point to target.
With their immense financial resources and outstanding lineup, Paris Saint-Germain had reached the Champions League quarterfinals for three consecutive seasons.
Perhaps many people had not realized how difficult that was, because people generally set their sights too high, focusing more on giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich.
In other words, over the past three years, very few teams had reached the Champions League quarterfinals in three consecutive seasons. There were only four: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich.
That meant this team had already become stable enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the three strongest giants of recent years. Reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for three consecutive years also proved how consistent their results were.
In the 2012–13 season, Paris Saint-Germain faced Porto, Dynamo