Is PSG's rotation the Champions League "blueprint"?
BBC Football's panel weighs the value of fresh legs against the domestic demands that make the same approach difficult for English clubs.
Why this story? The video is running at 20,686 views a day, 16 times its usual pace (1,268).
WHAT IS 'THE BLUEPRINT FOR WINNING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE?'
Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and Doué feature in this Champions League discussion for what they can do without playing: get some rest. In BBC Football's Match of the Day clip, the panel asks whether PSG's squad rotation offers a route to European success that English clubs struggle to copy.
The discussion picked up roughly 21,000 views over the past day, after drawing about 1,200 in its first day. Posted on October 14, it has drawn fresh attention to a question about winning matches by managing the ones that come before them.
One pundit describes Luis Enrique's approach plainly: "I mean, they're effectively running two squads." He points to PSG rotating key attackers in Ligue 1 and says Dembélé played roughly half the minutes of some Arsenal players over the season. In his argument, that difference leaves PSG fresher for European encounters.
The response from another panelist is the catch: English clubs cannot necessarily rest players so freely when qualification for the Champions League itself is difficult to secure. Having a deep squad and being able to use it are different things.
The comments pick up that distinction. Several viewers note how a less demanding domestic campaign can be presented as either a disadvantage or an advantage in Europe. Others ask why wealthy Premier League clubs cannot rotate more themselves. PSG's scheduling, rather than a particular formation or attacking move, is the debate here.
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What viewers say
A few years ago the argument was that they could never win the champions league because their league is so bad. Now they are favoured for the same reason.
@diebronzenekniescheibe9261See it on YouTubeSo why don't the prem teams just play all their other players as in 2 squads? They got plenty of money
@PvPspearfishingSee it on YouTubePSG plays beautiful football though
@plugnplaybabySee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
- Channel
- BBC Football
- Subscribers
- 105,000 ▲ 1,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,963,304
- Channel views, pace per day
- 454,429 (on a normal day: 176,015)
- Video published
- October 14, 2026
- Video views so far
- 22,125 (3 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 20,686 (on a normal day: 1,268)
The numbers
Most of this clip's views arrived after its opening day. Its daily views are running well above their usual pace.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which club did Luis Enrique coach to Champions League victory in 2015?
Luis Enrique led Barcelona to the Champions League title as part of its 2015 treble.


