On a worrying dynamic in 2023 before the Champions League, the club of the capital is more and more jostled on the national level.
By Adrian Mathieu
© NICOLAS DUCAT / AFP
Published on
Subscriber-only audio playback
Lhe month of February is definitely the month of all dangers for Paris Saint-Germain. After the elimination which left traces in the Coupe de France in Marseille (1-2), Neymar and his family must continue with Monaco, Lille and again OM in L1. And if that wasn’t enough, in the middle of all that: the long-awaited reunion with the Champions League and this enticing poster against Bayern Munich this Tuesday in the round of 16 first leg. If this competition has become the priority in the eyes of the Parisian leaders after the many past failures, the PSG is also starting to worry on the national scene.
Since the post-World Cup recovery, Christophe Galtier’s team has sent very few positive signals: the first defeats of the season have arrived, the collective is still looking for itself and the frustrating winter transfer window, without a single recruit, leaves a taste bitter. To make matters worse, the infirmary is filling up more and more. Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Marco Verratti, Renato Sanches or even Nordi Mukiele will be absent this Saturday (5 p.m.) to face Monaco on the Rock.
In a press conference, the Parisian coach assumed: “Without looking for excuses, there was also a World Cup in the middle which makes the organizations tired and in demand. It’s part of a period of the season that coaches have to manage. It’s up to me to find freshness so that rotations can allow players to be available on this important series. »
2011 – Marseille beat Paris at home for the first time since November 27, 2011 (3-0 in Ligue 1), ending a series of 9 unsuccessful receptions against this opponent. Party. #OMPSG https://t.co/OPMSQRJaBs
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) February 8, 2023
If PSG still has a comfortable mattress eight points ahead of RC Lens and Olympique de Marseille, the impression left at the start of 2023 is not reassuring. The defeats on the side of Bollaert (1-3), Roazhon Park (0-1) and the Vélodrome (1-2) showed the limits of this team. Even Reims came to the Parc des Princes with the firm intention of having no complex against the Parisian juggernaut and ended up snatching a deserved draw (1-1), after shooting much more than their opponent. In their post-match analyses, the Rémois also explained that the low pressing of the three stars allowed them to put their game more in the opposing camp, with the possibility of making differences more quickly.
“The PSG that no longer inspires fear: it’s not normal”
While at one time the whole Ligue 1 feared a spanking against PSG, this feeling has faded. The time of very heavy defeats and punishments inflicted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani seems to be over. On RMC, Éric Di Meco underlined it: “The opposing players had already lost before entering the field, they came to take as little as possible. Now the teams come and play. Strengths and weaknesses are identified and everyone plays. There is no longer one who is afraid of PSG, it is not normal. »
And this desire to win everything by not leaving even a single crumb in national competitions seems to have disappeared. Captain Marquinhos, after the setback in Marseille, did not seem more downcast than that. “Each game has its story. It is true that this is not our best moment. We must remain calm, calm. We are all disgusted and sad. We have won a lot, you also have to know how to lose and keep working. We will stay together. »
READ ALSOEngland: Manchester City suspected of financial offensesIndeed, beyond the mixed results and the proposed game, which leaves something to be desired, it is now a very worrying aspect that has emerged in recent weeks: the culture of winning is no longer dominant at PSG. By dint of betting everything on the Cup with big ears, the club of the capital has abandoned what allowed it to arrive in time for the European deadlines. Fortunately for Christophe Galtier, the pursuers in Ligue 1 are not yet taking advantage of the points lost on the way. But with this hellish calendar and the possible disappointment in the Champions League, the cards could be reshuffled very quickly.