~snip~
Somehow Enrique managed to do it. In the group stage PSG did not look like a team capable of winning this tournament at all, especially since they were even outside the qualification zone and only at the very end managed to get a place in the playoffs. There was also a lot of talk that without Mbappe it would be harder for them, but Enrique said that they would be better without him. I think at that time nobody believed that PSG could win the Champions League, but closer to the final everything changed and they scored a lot and easily beat any opponent. If Enrique can keep everything the way it is, I think they will be capable of repeating it again.
For those that have been watching the champions league competition for years now, right from when it was in group stages at it's beginning of the tournament before it was changed to a league pattern. Such people will know not to judge a team's future in the competition just from the league stage because many times most of those teams that had a poor start in the beginning of the competition later turns out to be those that get far even to finals. The dynamics of the competition is unpredictable and that's why it always gets interesting every new season.
You're right, some teams struggle to get past the groups stage back then but end up reaching the semi-finals or quarter final, I can't really remember the year but their was a season when Madrid didn't really perform very well from the group stage and round of 16 but ended up winning the league. PSG didn't really do well at the beginning of last season's tournament but along the line when the managed to progress they had to put more effort to avoid being kicked out till they got to the finals and won, that's the fighting spirit every team that wants to win that tournament should posses, you don't give up till it's over.
Sometimes I have seen that a team gradually builds momentum as a competitive progress and begins to finds their form that was what happened to PSG they gradually find their form after the scare from the group stages of the competition after going through a playoff.
While madrid was doing well but could not maintain their position and from in the champions League so this game coming up in the FIFA club world cup is going to be a really tight game for each of the team because both teams are having a great run of form