Doubt is allowed. In the standings, no drama is announced. Four points from Lille, one length from Lyon and two more ahead of Monaco, PSG retains every chance of succeeding itself to collect its tenth French league title. There are still 36 points to be gleaned, more than enough to catch up.
But there is the dynamic, the game, the schedule and the statistics not really in favor of the Parisian club. No coronation of PSG under the Qatari flag came after six defeats, its current total. Monaco wins, as the team that took the most points in 2021 (25 out of 27), ahead of Lille (22), PSG and Lyon being tied (19), bringing up the rear in this match at four that will make a big loser, eliminated from a place in the Champions League.
In the league, Mauricio Pochettino, two failures in nine days, did not reverse the curve left by his predecessor. Thomas Tuchel was sacked after 17 days and four defeats. The pace seems the same: basically, every four-five games, Paris loses. In four days, he goes to Lyon and, in five, he receives Lille. Good luck!
There are those who have wanted to trivialize the titles of champion of France of PSG in recent years by retaining only one power, that of the wallet more stocked than in the competition. It is forgotten that, very often, the partners of Thiago Silva imposed their law thanks to a polished game, mixing aesthetics and efficiency. On the pitch, Paris impressed and wouldn’t let anyone bite his calves.
Now, the rockets are attacking, aware that this Paris is no longer an ogre this season. Sunday evening, Jocelyn Gourvennec, the former coach of Guingamp and Bordeaux, now a consultant for Canal +, noted that PSG “played on a false rhythm”. “The Parisian players thought that the weather was going to play for them but they never found the right tempo, notes the former midfielder. They accelerated the game so little with passing that they were never able to afford the space to attack. “
This game reflects in a way his bumpy season. Since September, he has never been able to produce the acceleration necessary to put his opponents at bay and enjoy a little respite while waiting for European deadlines. Now he has no choice: to lead the final sprint in Ligue 1 head-on while continuing his journey as far as possible in the Champions League. Paris is off the hook and the mountain stages arrive.
YES. “The crown of Paris is wavering”
Dominique Sévérac, sports reporter
As Marco Verratti says, “this is starting to do a lot”. Lapalissade: a champion is determined by his number of victories. Less known: a champion is also known by his total of defeats. Paris has six since Sunday night, its worst record of the QSI era. We have to go back to the 2010-2011 edition to find any trace of such a rout in Ligue 1. Ten years ago, it was Rudi Garcia’s Lille who gleaned the title, two threats that still lurk in the galaxy. Parisian.
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Lille is in the lead and the coach officiates in Lyon, second. This is also one of the big problems for Marquinhos and others: the danger comes from everywhere. The crown of Paris wavers under the weight not of a big competitor like Montpellier in 2012 or Monaco in 2017 but of several. Six losses and there are twelve days left but many more games. A hoped-for qualification in the Champions League can lead to new decompressions and new disillusions in the league.
It is speculation, but there is also the real. PSG took only one point out of twelve possible against the first three. And there are still two games against its direct competitors with the trip to Lyon on March 21 and the reception of Lille on April 4. These fifteen days will largely determine the final ranking. And there is nothing to indicate that it will be harder outside than at the Park: the six setbacks are evenly distributed with three at home and three on the road. Really, this season, we do not know on which foot to dance with this PSG, full of weaknesses.
NO. “There is the pride of the champion”
Frédéric Gouaillard, sports reporter
Twelve days before the end of the championship, and with 4 points behind the Lille leader, PSG no longer has many jokers in its game. Or even none. To hope to win his tenth title of champion of France, the players of Mauricio Pochettino will have to achieve a faultless or near. They have the means to rise to the occasion, as they have proven this season in Barcelona (4-1), and ahead against Leipzig (1-0) or Manchester United (3-1). They simply lack consistency in effort and results.
To achieve their goals, they will be able to count on the upcoming returns to competition from Di Maria and then Neymar. If their absences were not felt at Camp Nou, the two South Americans are nonetheless decisive players especially in the face of tight defenses in Ligue 1. With them, Paris gains in variety, and in quality. Everything he missed against Monaco, and which Paris will need against Lyon and Lille among others.
The more the days pass, the more the discourse and the Pochettino method will permeate this group. We saw the first effects against Barça, and there is no reason that, over time, the precepts of the new Argentine coach do not work in the French championship. Finally, the pride of the champion who sees his throne falter and possibly the Champions League escape him, is not a neutral element. Especially when it comes to players of the dimension of Navas, Marquinhos, Neymar or Mbappé. They cannot resign themselves to seeing their crown removed without batting an eyelid. “
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
