For almost 150 minutes PSG were in control, with a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid entering the final 30 minutes of their second leg round of 16 Champions League series. Then, it all collapsed, much like that infamous night where PSG blew a four-goal lead against Barcelona, it all came crumbling down.
A Karim Benzema hat-trick after an array of defensive blunders and an attack that grew colder by the minute left Mauricio Pochettino’s side without any answers as Real Madrid rolled on to the quarterfinals and PSG and their squad of superstars were sent packing. It was yet another black eye for the French club who have spent a fortune in trying to win the Champions League but have failed at every turn.
With their latest Champions League defeat PSG is now a club at a crossroads, only a few months shy of losing their best player, and lingering questions about many of their stars, PSG is left asking “what comes next?”.
A new coach is almost a certainty
Mauricio Pochettino (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Mauricio Pochettino is as good as gone, the Argentine coach was handed the keys to one of the best attacks, if not the best attack, in club soccer and has mismanaged and underwhelmed completely throughout the season. In Pochettino’s defense at times Messi and Neymar were injured or with coronavirus, but the Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé trifecta never really seemed to gel.
Pochettino was brought in to win the Champions League not Ligue 1, and even though PSG will win the French league it won’t be enough to keep the Argentine. With the season ending it’s doubtful Pochettino stays considering the Champions League failure and failure to make PSG a cohesive unit.
For Pochettino dark waters on his future could be rising, linked with a move to Manchester United, a team in a similar situation like PSG, one would think if he is the right man for the Red Devils job.
Losing Mbappé
Kylian Mbappe (Getty Images)
If the two-leg series against Real Madrid showed anything, it is that Kylian Mbappé is going to become one of, if not, the best player in the world. The loss of Mbappé will be huge for PSG, this season alone he has 25 goals, he is the only PSG player with double digit goals, so much so coming in second is Lionel Messi with a disappointing 7 goals this season.
Stuck on a mega deal with Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi (Getty Images)
Lionel Messi looks like a fish out of water at PSG, in a poor return on the field from a massive investment. Messi has only 2 goals in the French league this season, and while he proved his worth in the Champions League the Argentine looks “normal”.
Messi is not leaving PSG. The marketing deals alone is enough to keep Messi at PSG and PSG willing to get everything they can out of the Messi machine. Still questions have to be raised about how to put a near 35-year-old player in a position to succeed. Messi will need to be surrounded by players that can work with him and even for him.
Messi has a contract until June of 2023 at PSG, the end of next season, by which the World Cup will be out of the way, and raises yet another question, whatever happens in Qatar 2022, what is there left to play for for Lionel Messi?
Fire sale
Georginio Wijnaldum (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
PSG has a list of players that are gone or will be put up for sale: Mauro Icardi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Keylor Navas all have strong cases to move on to other things. Icardi has been reduced to junk minutes and was an unused sub against Real Madrid.
Ángel Di María’s contract is up at the end of the season and could also leave the club after many years of productive service.
The future
Neymar (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
PSG will sign players, mostly some of the top prospects in French soccer and a few players from abroad, that is not even open to debate. What the team needs to get right is getting the most out of Neymar, who is there until 2025, and positioning Messi to succeed. A big time forward will be key, but above all else a manager who can manage the egos and organize the team to be a team and not individuals will be the main key to PSG’s future success.
How safe is Leonardo’s job also comes into question, it was under his watch that PSG made some signings that are eating away at the club’s budget and it would be hard press to call any of their major signings this season successful.
