During the summer of 2023, Parc des Princes said goodbye to two of its three biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Neymar. And now, PSG is falling into trouble in the Champions League. Can Kylian Mbappe alone “carry” defending champion Ligue 1 through the Champions League group stage this season?
In fact, in the two seasons with both Messi and Neymar, PSG also stopped in the 1/8 round of Europe’s most prestigious playground. Even in the 2021/22 season, “King Leo” is considered a “criminal” who caused the home team of the Park of Princes to be eliminated by Real Madrid, after he missed a penalty kick in the first leg of the 1/8 round. .
Because, if Messi had succeeded in kicking the free kick, PSG would have led 2-0 before the return match. And then, everything can change. However, if this world had the word “if”, people would have put all of Paris in a bottle.
And last season, PSG was made fun of and the target of ridicule in the football community. Let’s see how people react for the second consecutive season that the French Capital team is eliminated in the round of 16 of the most prestigious playground on the old continent.
Despite possessing the nuclear attack trio MNM (Messi – Neymar – Mbappe), PSG was still crushed by Bayern with a total score of 3-0 over the two matches. Jamie Carragher burst out laughing on live television: “Is PSG just that much?” Marca newspaper scoffed: “Bayern is simply too classy compared to PSG.” As for the daily newspaper L’ Equipe said “failure is the culture at PSG”.
This season, with Messi and Neymar gone, PSG started off quite smoothly with a 2-0 victory over Dortmund and of course, their biggest star – Mbappe – still shines as usual. Luis Enrique’s ball control style of play seems quite suitable for the people that PSG has.
However, trouble came when Lucho was not “faithful” with his playing style. The Spanish military leader “shot himself in the foot” with a “bizarre” diagram (L’Equipe newspaper commented on the 4-2-4 diagram) that completely handicapped PSG’s midfield during Newcastle’s away trip. . The midfield was broken, Mbappe had no ball to play, PSG finished 1-4.
Back at home at Parc des Princes, PSG won 3-0 when hosting Milan, including Mbappe’s opening goal. However, a 1-2 defeat in the second leg at San Siro and a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in the previous match left PSG’s fate hanging in the balance.
PSG could have been even more miserable if Mbappe had not scored in the final seconds of extra time when receiving the Magpies in the previous match. Because without another valuable point in this 1-1 draw, the home team at Parc des Princes no longer has the right to self-determination.
PSG’s chance to advance now depends on the “final match” in Dortmund. A defeat will kick PSG out of the Champions League if the Milan – Newcastle match has a winner or loser. This is a sensational scenario that many people have imagined before the match at Signal Iduna Park early this Thursday morning.
Luis Enrique is facing the most important test since returning to PSG. And, the Spanish military leader has too much work to do to bring a satisfactory result to the home team.
Lucho will be forced to talk to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has recently been making difficult mistakes. PSG has the return of captain Marquinhos, but will this player regain his rhythm and feeling on the ball, playing safely in a pressure-filled match?