Knockout stage preview
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN CAN THEY BREAK THEIR ROUND-OF-16 HOODOO?
Of all the club authority figures involved in the knockout stage of the Champions League, no one needs a deep run in the competition more than PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi. Since the Qatari state took over the French side in 2011 and began spending petrodollars galore on top talent – some €1.25billion to date – the Parisians have become a byword for elite European underachievement, never going beyond the quarter-finals stage.
PSG, who have gone out in the round of 16 in each of the past three seasons, have turned continental self-destruction into an art form.
In the spring of 2017 they could not even make it over the finish line despite a 4-0 first-leg victory against Barcelona, collapsing 6-1 in the return. And it was the same story a year ago, winning 2-0 at Manchester United, only to blow it in the second-leg with a 3-1 home defeat and an away-goals exit.
The unexpected loss to a hardly inspiring United side was a bitter pill for all to swallow at the Parc des Princes, but particularly for Khelaifi, whose grand empire-building plans have thus far come to nothing.
At the end of last season he took aim at his squad in a splenetic interview with France Football magazine, claiming: “The outcome of the Manchester United tie revealed our shortcomings in the engagement, motivation and mentality of our players.
“We all have dreams, notably to one day to win the Champions League. However, we have to give ourselves the means to do it and show the proper desire.
“Against Manchester United, I was convinced that it wasn’t us who wanted qualification most. Were we particularly
ready mentally? I have my doubts.
“There’s a special mentality you need to have at the top European level and we don’t sufficiently have it. You have to approach every game with the same force. We’re not always consistent in our desire. That has to change.
“I want to see fighting spirit in every game. The players are going to have to assume their responsibilities. They will have to do more, work harder. I want players who are proud to wear our shirt, not those who do the job when it suits them. They are not here to please themselves.
“If they are not happy, the door’s open. I no longer want to see star behaviour.”
To help bring about this change in the dressing-room mindset, Khelaifi reappointed former Brazil international Leonardo as sporting director in the summer. Leonardo worked in a similar role for PSG from 2011 to 2013 and prior to his controversial departure – after barging into a referee during a postmatch altercation he was handed a
“I want players who are proud to wear our shirt, not those who do the job when it suits them”
Xxxxxx PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi
13-month ban and resigned – he was a popular figure at the club.
On the eve of the Champions League restart, Leonardo’s two biggest headaches undoubtedly relate to the futures of attacking superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Neymar – who makes no secret of his wish to quit the Ligue 1 champions as soon as possible, preferably to rejoin his old club Barcelona – is hardly committed to the cause, while Mbappe, who is a target for Real Madrid, has to decide whether he wants to put pen to paper on a massive new contract to remain in France. Mbappe says that he does not want to “make waves” at this juncture, but is he stalling?
PSG’s German coach Thomas Tuchel is another who could soon be moving on. Rumours abound that he and Leonardo are not exactly working hand-in-hand. And with the Bayern Munich job up for grabs in June, he may be tempted to head back to his homeland.