Recently, the news broke that Mauricio Pochettino is stepping down from his role as manager in the summer, performing a final disappearing act, departing the €870 Million travelling circus that is Paris Saint-Germain FC.
During his first few weeks at the club, YouTubers Tifo Football, had this to say:
“The early signs are positive for Pochettino, but this is a job with a lot of pressure and heavy expectations. His tactics, and the style of play he demands, will only be one element of what causes him to succeed or fail.”
PSG, in essence, is the show to beat all shows. Fans will pay top dollar to see the Argentinian who’s done it all: the ringmaster, Lionel Messi. Master of the balancing act, expert contortionist and master juggler. Although his best years are past him, he can still pull a rabbit out of the hat.
But Messi is only a jewel in the famous Parisian crown: Neymar, the footballing seal, will make you watch in awe as he balances the ball on his nose, before picking out a pass that surely no mere-mortal could articulate… Most cover their eyes in anticipation as the human cannonball, Kylian Mbappe, flies across the grass, quicker than you can blink.
Just like any other famous troupe, the world expects PSG to take the biggest risks, demanding only the very best results. However, with sweet expectation comes sour disappointment.
Les Parisiens welcome Real Madrid on Tuesday as the Champions League makes a long anticipated return. Both teams won’t have played a game as important this season, but for Pochettino’s side the stakes couldn’t be higher. The French giants long for the Champions League; they crave it. Having never won the tournament despite being tipped to win it most years, Champions League glory is PSG’s ultimate crux as the club seems to fall on it’s own mightily expensive sword, time and time again.
So, whilst most of the players will have been sleeping in mum and dad’s room over the weekend, as they look ahead in terror to a potentially career altering match, Mauricio Pochettino won’t be. Win or lose, he’s off come the end of the season…
In the summer, or perhaps sooner depending on the outcome of tonight’s tie, the club will be left without an identity again. Apart from a flawless fanbase, who electrify the Parc des Princes- and most other European stadiums week after week- PSG is crying out for a model, which sadly can’t be solved with a big wad of cash.
It’s time to take a dive into what might be wrong with PSG. How can France’s richest and most underwhelming side take the steps to dance with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid?
Fragile discipline is a burden that management can’t seem to shake inside the Ligue 1 giants’ dressing room. Throughout both Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel’s reigns, the so called ‘celebrities’ amongst the squad could become problematic to say the least.
In September 2021, Lionel Messi was substituted by his new manager after playing for 75 minutes in a league game against Olympique Lyonnais. He trudged off the pitch, lolling his head in disappointment, instead of meeting Poch’s outstretched arm with a handshake. Nor did he look overly thrilled when 15 minutes later, teammate Mauro Icardi nodded in the winner to snatch all three points.
Parisian history repeats itself it seems: before Pochettino took over, Tuchel had two pitch-side- and very public- fallings out, in the space of a month, with world beater Kylian Mbappe. The current Chelsea boss didn’t make it to the end of the year, getting the chop in December. But was it entirely his fault?
Before that, it was Unai Emery- another failure in masterminding a PSG expedition to European glory. In October 2016, L’Equipe reported that a small band of Rouge et Bleus players, headed by footballing behemoth and then captain Thiago Silva, confronted Emery in training about the teams formation and style of play.
It was then suggested he implemented a 4-3-3 because of this, instead of his signature 4-2-3-1. Many managers, particularly the ‘special’ ones, would make their players regret such a protest. Other high profile coaches may even walk right out of the door. Emery did just that a year later, with 12 months left on his contract. The dots are starting to join together, aren’t they?
You might find yourself wondering: ‘PSG have one of the most talented squads in Europe, why does discipline matter all that much?’ Take yourself back to the 4th of May 2021. Champions League semi-final; the most important match in the club’s 20/21 campaign.
Les Parisiens were 2-1 down on aggregate to Manchester City. Idrissa Gueye had been sent off in the first game in France for a horror challenge- Pochettino stressed to the press that the team ‘must keep their heads’ at the Etihad. PSG had fallen short to Bayern Munich in the final only a year prior. The odds were stacked against Paris, and as visitors on the day, the pendulum of pressure swung against Man City.
The game began with a PSG penalty, which was then overturned: the banana skin that caused Poch’s players to make an expensive and catastrophic slip. Riyadd Mahrez opened the scoring soon after, then dealt the fatal blow in the 63rd minute, putting the game out of reach at a 4-1 aggregate score.
Anarchy ensued: 3 out of the visitors’ 4 bookings came after the hour mark, Angel Di Maria was sent off minutes after the second goal for violently stamping on Fernandinho, and the team started to implode. Neymar looked completely broken, pretty much refusing to pass the ball in the last twenty minutes, almost as if to say ‘look at me, I AM a good footballer.’
Ander Herrera and Marco Veratti accused referee Bjorn Kuipers of ‘swearing’ at them during the game, questioning the integrity of the match officials. Kuipers could’ve been speaking in Dothraki, it wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Of course, PSG lost that semi final. It’s almost as if Neymar and co believe that they’re laughing stocks amongst the other European giants. In order for discipline to be polished, there must be rules, understanding, a philosophy. Seemingly impossible for a Parisian circus that decide those who train the lions, become lunch, before they have even had a chance to tame them.
Unlike their Champions League enemies, Man City, PSG are without a critical identity. Without playing ‘the PSG way’, whatever that is, they can’t expect to be consistent in the numerous competitions they participate in. Let alone the fact they can’t seem to hold down a successful manager for more than a couple of years, you will frequently see PSG smash a title rival in Ligue 1 (last weeks 5-1 win over Lille) but drop major points against beatable opposition.
On Sunday’s 1-0 win over Rennes, the club’s ultras launched a protest in which their Auteuil stand of the Parc des Princes was empty for the first 25 minutes, while there was no chanting or support for the rest of the first half. There were over 20 banners unveiled by the ultras which were a direct attack on the club’s hierarchy and playing staff, whom they described as ‘overpaid mercenaries’.
Over the last two years, the clubs marquee signings have involved the likes of Lionel Messi, Gini Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Mauro Icardi.
Donnarumma finds himself sharing game time with an equally deserving Keylor Navas, not racking up enough game time to find a proper vein of form. Wijnaldum has already expressed his discontent towards the amount of minutes he’s getting, Pochettino opting for a flat midfield trio, fielding Veratti, Pereira and Herrera instead.
Sergio Ramos has been injured with on and off calf muscle problems since January of last year, only appearing in 4 PSG matches. He sustained another injury only a few weeks ago and will likely miss the Real Madrid clash. Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi, but his compatriot Mauro Icardi, who will become the club’s main striker should Mbappe leave for Madrid, seems to always go missing in big games.
So, the PSG hierarchy must ask themselves: ‘are we signing players who improve the brand of Paris Saint Germain? Or are we signing players who fit the long term style of football that we want to play?’ Bear in mind, all the aforementioned names apart from Donnarumma are over the age of 27.
Invited to play for the club on multi-million pound deals, will they be part of PSG’s long term ambitions? Although inetent on sacking managers for UCL failure, even after they have won a league title, as was the case with Tuchel, it seems ironic that the higher-ups themselves seem to settle for only domestic glory when it comes to smart recruitment.
Furthermore, they’ve let the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Pablo Sarabia leave for cheap chips. Sarabia, a clever and snappy inverted winger, now plays for Sporting Lisbon, helping them pip Dortmund to the post for a UCL round of 16 spot; Nkunku is ripping up the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig in attack, scoring 11 and assisting 7 in just 21 matches.
Either way, Pochettino will leave the club in the summer. It’s clear from the voices of Parisian fans that whoever takes charge of the team next must have a style, encourage the squad to take no liberties- by nurture or by force- and make smart signings that suit the clubs ultimate goal of UEFA Champions League glory.
We will see tonight if counter attacking through the guise of ‘give it to Neymar, Messi, and Mbappe and they’ll do the rest’ will pay off for Les Parisians. Whether it does or not, the ambitions of the club’s dedicated fan-base want, and deserve more…
