Has Désiré Doué Cemented His Spot In PSG's Starting XI? | OneFootball

Désiré Doué has become one of PSG's most important players in the last few weeks, his most recent outing against Aston Villa is just a confirmation of all his talent and his importance in Luis Enrique's team.

Since the beginning of 2025, Doué tallied 10 goals and eight assists for his side whether it was in a starting role or off the bench. His great form has also earned him his first call-up with the France national team. Furthermore, the 19-year-old seems to be increasingly more trusted by his coach, earning starts in important games such as the Champions League quarterfinal first-leg against Villa.

In this form, he appears to be in front of Bradley Barcola in the rotation, but is it enough to lock in a starting role until the end of the season?

Doué's Tactical Fit

The former Rennes player is very versatile, able to play as a left or right winger and as midfielder, Doué fits perfectly Luis Enrique’s football philosophy as he can perform very in these different positions, offering to his coach many different tactical approaches.

As a midfielder, he brings verticality pace to Paris' midfield added to his ability to dribble past numerous opponents when spaces are opening up in front of him. Additionally, his positioning in the midfield allows Luis Enrique to start with Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and Barcola in his front three as Paris start with a very offensive lineup. However, it would take out one of PSG's midfielders, when it is certainly their biggest strength at this stage of the season.

As a winger, he offers different characteristics than Barcola, being able to operate efficiently on both wings, combined with his two-footedness, he allows Kvaratskhelia to stay on the left wings, where he is most used to play. Additionally, he excels in link-up plays and dribbles in tight spaces whereas Barcola needs more space to use his thunderous pace.

Rotation & Squad Depth

Since his great performance off the bench against Liverpool in the second-leg of their Champions League tie, Doué has started every game for his side, cumulating over 480 minutes across six games. In this span, he recorded five goals and one assist, being the second most decisive player of the squad behind Ousmane Dembélé.

So far, Luis Enrique has been able to perfectly rotate his squad which helped the team to avoid any lenghty injuries while remaining competitive in every competitions. However, Doué's recent form has pushed him to start many games when the Spaniard has given plenty of rest to his other offensive players.

At the moment, it would seem that Désiré Doué is ahead of Barcola in the rotation due to his superb form and his consistency, though, it is certainly not enough to guarantee him a starting spot under Luis Enrique's management as Barcola and him are different types of players that offer a wide range of tactical approach to the Spaniard.