KShortly before the Champions League duel with FC Bayern Munich, the French soccer champions Paris Saint-Germain are under pressure. After the defeat in the classic at Olympique Marseille on Wednesday evening, hope for the French Cup title is gone – and the mood is bad. “We missed a lot, now it’s better to shut up,” captain Marquinhos told TV station Bein Sports after the bankruptcy in Marseille.
The football stars around Neymar and Lionel Messi lost to Marseille with 1:2 goals. “We know that we have to improve a lot if we want to achieve something this season,” complained Marquinhos – also with a view to the round of 16 first leg against Bayern next Tuesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and at skies). “A title that’s gone hurts.”
Sergio Ramos’ equalizer in injury time in the first half was far too little to survive in the French classic. Above all, offensively disappointed PSG, who had to do without the injured Kylian Mbappé. “We knew they would put a lot of pressure on. We didn’t manage to get past their lines faster. We made a few mistakes that cost us dearly,” said Marquinhos of France 3, adding: “It’s a defeat that hurts because it’s a cup game against our great rivals.”
“We are angry”
It was the French champions’ third defeat of the new year. PSG leads the league with an eight-point lead, but is by no means as confident as desired. And now there is also the end of the round of 16 of the cup at L’OM. “The disappointment is great, the Coupe de France was one of our goals,” said coach Christophe Galtier. “We have to learn our lessons from this game. We didn’t have enough chances in the second half, we have to be more dangerous.” The PSG stars will have the first chance to implement Galtier’s demands on Saturday (5:00 p.m. on DAZN) in the league game in Monaco. After that, Bayern will play in Paris – and want to lay the foundation for Marquinhos & Co. to end their next dream of the title soon.
Gianluigi Donnarumma couldn’t hide his anger either. “We’re angry,” said the goalkeeper just six days before the big game against Bayern. Is he worried about the clash in the Champions League? “Yes,” he replied, “we have problems – but also champions who can help the team. And they will!” The defeat against Marseill once again raised doubts that the star ensemble, worth billions, will meet Bayern at the height of their creative potential. “This time it’s serious,” wrote the trade journal L’Equipe about the third defeat in 2023.
Returnee Neymar, out of the recent league wins against Montpellier and Toulouse due to muscular problems, hit the post and prepared the 1-1 by Ramos with a corner. Overall, however, he gave a “disturbing” (“L’Equipe”) performance. Losing the ball led to the winning goal for Marseille, Galtier spoke of a “somewhat stupid goal”. World champion Lionel Messi also acted under Qatar form again. Other key players such as Donnarumma or Marco Verratti have weakened recently or were conspicuous for their lack of discipline. Captain Marquinhos seems to be lagging behind the World Cup with Brazil.
Galtier recently spoke of a “crisis based on complacency”. There are also internal squabbles. Substitute captain Presnel Kimpembe recently complained that not he but Mbappe was allowed to wear the bandage instead of Marquinhos – and had to report to the bosses. The former Bayern star and TV expert Bixente Lizarazu sees a “worrying” situation. Of particular concern is the persistent reluctance of offensive casters to do defensive work. “It was easy to play from behind,” said Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid after the 1-1 draw in Paris, “the three up front just don’t defend.”