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It doesn’t seem like a crisis. Paris Saint-Germain occupy their familiar position at the top of the Ligue 1 table and are second in their Champions League group.
And yet there is no question that the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel is mounting and that the cracks are beginning to show.
There is a feeling of make or break PSG’s visit to Manchester United on Wednesday night, a feeling that not just their Champions League ambitions but the entire season hinge on the outcome at Old Trafford.
Not to mention the future of Tuchel. It seems unlikely that the Qatari owners of PSG will continue to trust the German manager if they face the prospect of the Europa League after Christmas.
A second loss to United in this group stage would not put an end to PSG’s hopes of reaching the round of 16, but it would mean a tense matchday six encounter with Istanbul Basaksehir and more than a few eager requests for updates from RB. Leipzig vs United Game.
When the group stage draw was done, PSG were really looking forward to finishing atop Group H. After all, they were runners-up in last season’s Champions League and they surely had the class, the firepower. and the knowledge to finish above a shaky-looking United. young Leipzig suitors and Basaksehir debutants.
Instead, it is United who only need one point on Wednesday to advance and PSG engaged in a dogfight with Leipzig to take the other spot and avoid the scant consolation of falling into secondary competition in Europe.
They were attacked by United at the Parc des Princes in their opening match, looking mediocre in the first half before improving in the second, only to be repeatedly repulsed by David de Gea and an unlikely back three from Victor Lindelof, Axel Tuanzebe and Luke. Shaw. before the last winner of Marcus Rashford.
That loss put them immediately on the defensive and things got worse with a 2-1 loss to Leipzig on matchday three.
Ángel Di María gave them just six minutes ahead but then saw a saved penalty. Leipzig, well beaten by PSG in last season’s semi-final, saw an opportunity for revenge, especially with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé absent due to injury.
Of all the people, Christopher Nkunku, who spent nine years at PSG, tied and then Tuchel’s team discipline simply disintegrated.
Emil Forsberg converted a penalty to put Leipzig 2-1 up before Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe were sent off.
Tuchel seemed to sum up the luck of a PSG coach in his post-match comments: ‘No, I don’t feel in danger. It is the life of a coach in Paris, I have the impression that the press, the environment is very critical, but that does not change my work with the team.
“It’s the life of a coach in Paris, it’s never enough.”
It was certainly a wise point. If it is not enough that PSG simply win rather than win with supreme style and authority, then it is definitely a crisis when they lose.
Tuchel’s obvious frustration with the unbearable level of sky-high expectations at the club overflowed after the reverse match on matchday four.
They earned a 1-0 win thanks to Neymar’s early penalty, but Leipzig squandered all the best chances having enjoyed 62 percent possession. It was a victory for PSG that could be described as ‘ugly’.
And when a journalist dared to ask later why PSG were not playing with greater style, Tuchel exploded. The questions are always the same! Why don’t you go and ask them in the locker room if you have the balls to do that?
‘I’m sick and tired of this, I’m tired of being measured against their expectations.’
Those expectations are at an all-time high nationally. PSG have won 24 of the last 28 national trophies dating back to 2013 and their dominance of French football has long been taken for granted.
But after 12 games this season, Tuchel’s team has already suffered three league losses, the same number it suffered in the 2019-20 set, which was undoubtedly reduced by Covid-19.
It is not really mentioned that after 12 games last season, Tuchel’s team had also lost three times. Indeed, their twelfth game was an embarrassing 2-1 loss at bottom Dijon.
The big difference is that back then PSG were eight points clear at the top and looked ready to win another league title at a canter.
This time around, they have a small two-point lead over a chasing group from Lille, Lyon, Monaco and Montpellier and look much more vulnerable.
They opened the season with a surprise loss to newly promoted Lens and a home loss to archrival Marseille, a fiery match to say the least with five red cards.
PSG then proceeded to win their next eight league games, all with considerable ease, but recent weeks have seen shortcomings exposed.
They conspired to throw off a two-goal lead in Monaco and lose 3-2, after which Tuchel furiously described their performance in the second half as “catastrophic”.
‘We were not serious enough … we are fully responsible for this defeat, when the match almost ended in our favor. I have to accept all the criticisms, because we have stopped playing completely, ‘he added.
The coach was even more upset after PSG gave up the lead again in Saturday night’s 2-2 draw with Bordeaux, launching another spiel.
“Normally I always protect my team but today I totally disagree. You don’t need to lose points a second time like this after Monaco. It was worse than against Monaco, ” he said.
So even if a glance at the leaderboards doesn’t scream “crisis” for PSG, there is definitely a feeling that Tuchel is feeling the heat.
Of course, the very high expectations against which he criticizes do not help him. All of French football enjoys every little slip on the part of this luxuriously assembled team, which is expected to win every competition in which it participates.
The Champions League, of course, continues to elude them, but Tuchel brought them closer than anyone when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in August.
That, however, might not be enough mitigation to save him if PSG don’t get out of the group stage before Leipzig next week.
They have not played in the Europa League since the season of Qatar’s billions in 2011-12 and the owners will have no intention of rubbing shoulders with players like Molde, Braga and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the new year.
One thing in their favor is their superior record against Leipzig, thanks to that ‘away goal’ scored in Germany, which would divide them if they finish tied on points.
Another factor has been the inevitable fatigue caused by a shorter than usual cycle change between seasons. PSG’s 2019-20 campaign ended with the Champions League final on August 23 and 2020-21 began just 18 days later in Lens.
Another knock-on effect has been injuries. Even a club with PSG’s roster depth has been cut down to the basic bones of 13 fit players at times this season.
Star man Neymar has entered and left the team with injury discomfort, a positive coronavirus test and a suspension following his red card against Marseille.
His teammate Mbappé also tested positive at the start of the season. Interestingly, he hasn’t scored in the Champions League for almost a year, but he’s still in good shape in the league.
But none of these factors are likely to forgive Tuchel if PSG are not in the Champions League round of 16 draw. He’s out of contract next summer anyway and he might as well have taken them as far as he could.
If he goes that far it could well hinge on Wednesday night’s result at Old Trafford.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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