Flash back to 2014 and revisit the words of a defiant Nasser Al-Khelaifi when he told L’Equipe that Paris Saint-Germain ‘must’ win the Champions League within four years.
Flash forward to Wednesday, a miserable night in Munich, where PSG bowed out with a whimper in the last-16, the stage they have fallen at in five of the past seven seasons, to see how foolish those words now appear.
Worst of all for PSG is that there was a level of resignation to it all. A circus of stars with a bag of tricks but no cohesion and no semblance of what it takes to win in this competition they continue to crave so much.
Bayern were simply better and while they are not the juggernaut that have been previously – see the sides of Jupp Heynkes, Hansi Flick and Pep Guardiola – they are infitinely better as a squad than PSG. Even the most ardent Parisien ultra can see that.
Defeat means calls for a rebuild resurface. A change of manager is likely. Perhaps ‘football advisor’ Luis Campos gets the boot. But problems in Paris run deeper than individuals. As Thierry Henry said to CBS overnight, what, if there even is one, is the identity of this club other than that of perenniel losers?
Lionel Messi (middle) may have had his last run at Champions League glory in a PSG shirt
There is pressure on football advisor Luis Campos (right) to change the strategy from here
Since the 2011 Qatari takeover more than £1billion has been spent to transform PSG into a European powerhouse. And yet they look further away than ever in the Champions League.
Imagine trying to drive a Bugatti through narrow and winding country lanes. Flashy, yes. Ineffective, that too.
PSG have assembled a flashy squad that is simply ineffective in big moments and is largely why a significant revolution is required. Continue on this path of Galactico signing after Galactico signing and little will change bar the names on the backs of shirts.
‘PSG should rip the whole project up and start from scratch,’ Owen Hargreaves told BT Sport.
‘They have so many brilliant individuals. It’s not a team. It’s a shame. They’ve put so many fabulous players together but if anything, they’re going backwards.’
There are foundation pieces which PSG must – and will – hold on to, but there are also plenty they must be ushering out the door.
Sergio Ramos turns 37 at the end of the month and while he was among the better performers in Munich, he will go.
Messi, at the age of 35 and out of contract, would be a big call but perhaps now is the time for a parting of the ways. There has been discussions from his camp and PSG’s side over a new deal but Messi came up small in the big moment and if PSG are to rip it up, does he have the patience for another ‘project’? The answer is likely no.
Neymar? PSG tried to shift him last season and given his mid-to-late season injuries, which persist season after season, they are expected to shop him around once more.
Neymar was shopped last summer and his injuries mean he is likely to be paraded once more
Messi (left) is out of contract in the summer while Kylian Mbappe (right) looks to be unhappy
And then there is Mbappe, the jewel in the crown of this team and French football in general, who will be entering the final year of his contract in the summer. Do PSG get held to ransom once more – don’t forget he ran his contract down previously and Real Madrid had two bids rejected – or do they cash in?
Mbappe is top scorer in PSG’s history, sealed at the weekend with 201 goals in 248 games, and is the player they need to build around most. He is among the greatest players in the world, Messi is at the tail-end of his career and Neymar is unreliable.
Questions aplenty, answers less so right now.
‘What is the plan? What is the identity? What is the philosophy? What are you trying to achieve?’ Henry told CBS Sports.
‘I have said very often that there is a rift between the club and many supporters of the former PSG. They almost preferred the former Paris Saint-Germain. Which may seem crazy since if you had told me 20 years ago that Paris was going to have this team I would have thought it was a joke, it could not not happen.
‘The fans of the time would have said: “give me the papers, where do I sign”. Now that they have this team, they are not always happy because they cannot always relate to this team.’
Seventy seven signings across 12 years has gone on to deliver eight of the 10 Ligue 1 titles and 12 domestic cups. That, however, is all scant consolation.
Teenagers like Warren Zaire Emery and El Chadaille Bitshiabu – both featured against Bayern – are emerging and perhaps offer a nod of a shift in mindset.
Ismael Gharbi, Hugo Ekitete and Timothee Pembele are other rising stars catching the eye.
Young stars like Warren Zaire Emery (left) and El Chadaille Bitshiabu (right) point to a new era
Whether manager Christophe Galtier actually gets time to oversee a shift remains up in the air
Paris is one of the greatest football factories for talent anywhere in the world and yet so many seem to slip through PSG’s grasp.
‘Why are they going to Salzburg or Dortmund or Leicester?’ Hargreaves queried. ‘They should all be playing for PSG. They could win Ligue 1 with those players then sprinkle in one or two superstars.’
Joe Cole echoed the thoughts of his fellow BT pundit.
PSG EXITS UNDER QATARI OWNERSHIP
2012-13 – Quarter-finals
2013-14 – Quarter-finals
2014-15 – Quarter-finals
2015-16 – Quarter-finals
2016-17 – Last-16
2017-18 – Last-16
2018-19 – Last-16
2019-20 – FINAL (Lost)
2020-21 – Semi-finals
2021-22 – Last-16
2022-23 – Last-16
‘They’ve bought some of the best players of the last 20 years,’ he said. ‘The young French players scattered around Europe could be doing what these lads are doing for a quarter of the cost with an identity the fans connect with.’
PSG are increasingly mindful of more Financial Fair Play scrutiny and that is likely to alter recruitment from this juncture.
There is genuine interest in Marcus Rashford – who is discussing a contract extension at Manchester United – and Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, who is a France Under 21 international.
Moving players on significant wages is always tricky, and that is why manager Christophe Galtier is likely to be a fall guy.
He’s fallen short of expectations, no question, but PSG are burning through top managers like hot rubber and the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel have lifted the trophy since leaving so hardly show signs of being the problem in the room.
Asked if his race was run Galtier, the sixth appointment of the Qatari ownership, was deadpan in response: ‘It is too early. My future depends on the sports management side and the president.
‘Obviously, there is disappointment. The club pinned its hopes of this competition. I like to stay the course. I remain focused on the end of season. We will have to get over this disappointment quickly.’
PSG look to be going backwards and their obsession with stars has created a circus in Paris
Whether he stays or goes is beside the wider point for defeat in Munich felt like the end of an era; a point of no return.
Speculating to accumulate with big-name players has backfired, fans cannot relate to those they watch and PSG are at best stuck still and at worst hurtling backwards year on year.
‘There is no reason for the greatest players in the world to come to Paris for anything other than a better contract than elsewhere, and no reason, either, for the average players not to continue to die there,’ L’Equipe columnist Vincent Duluc said.
And he’s right. PSG must end this addicition to star power and send the circus on its way. Do that and their Champions League dream can find its way back on track.
SRC: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
