In Paris, winning the premier class has been the highest goal for years. With a new coach and old staff, the coup should finally succeed in the next attempt.
Under coach Maurice Pochettino Paris Saint-Germain won despite the offensive fireworks Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar last season “only” the domestic league. In the premier class, it came to a bitter end in the round of 16 against eventual winners Real Madrid. Despite a 1-0 win in the first leg, the French were eliminated by a 3-1 defeat in Madrid.
Not enough for the high demands of the Paris management, the Argentine coach had to go: “There’s a Manchester City who trust a manager who’s been there for seven years and a PSG where you have to arrive and win the Champions League.”the 50-year-old recently settled accounts with his former employer in an interview with “Infobae”.
In the last ten years, the top club failed four times in the quarterfinals and round of 16. 2020/21 was the last stop in the semi-finals, the previous season they only failed in the final at FC Bayern.
Galtier than “best option”
With Christophe Galtier, an internationally unknown slate followed in the summer as his successor on the coaching bench. Few experts had expected the 56-year-old Frenchman. The previous stations of the coach: St. Etienne, OSC Lille and most recently OGC Nice.
This was followed by promotion to the highest coaching chair in France, which also brings with it great expectations. The authoritarian Galtier should tighten the reins in the star ensemble and ensure collective subordination and tactical discipline. PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi described the new signing as “best option for our tactical idea”.
Neymar Theater ticked off?
Last summer, the eighth championship in the last ten years was followed by new unrest in the personnel policy of the top Parisian club: there were persistent rumors of a transfer to superstar Neymar. The Brazilian is said to have taken his time to come to terms with the new hierarchy around newly-extended ‘leader’ Kylian Mbappe d’accord.
In the meantime, the 30-year-old is said to have even asked for a change, but then signed a new contract that binds him to PSG until 2027. Those in good spirits interpreted this maneuver as giving in, in order to enable forces to be pooled together with a clear goal in mind. Skeptical voices suspected an unemotional, sober insight behind the unexpected extension – the potential buyers should not have exactly accumulated with the extravagant attacker.
However, the disputes in the Paris offensive do not seem to have been completely resolved. In the dispute over the penalty taker in the 5-2 win over OSC Montpellier between Neymar and Mbappé, there were apparently renewed discussions about the post as leader.
Transfer market: little bling bling
Alongside that duo, PSG continue to have one of Europe’s best attacking powers with an aging but still capable of exceptional performances, Lionel Messi and backup striker Mauro Icardi. In the past transfer phase, the French acted a little more cautiously: Vitinha came from FC Porto for a transfer fee of 41.5 million euros and is supposed to strengthen the headquarters. Nuno Mendes (Sp. Lisbon, 38 million euros) and Nordi Mukiele (RB Leipzig, 12 million) have been acting as new rail players for the left and right sides of the ten-time French champions since this season.
With Hugo Ekitiké (Reims, loan) and Renato Sanches (Lille, 15 million), two young players who had impressed at their clubs last season were also signed. The prominent star purchase, which is almost familiar from past transfer phases, did not materialize, but the goals were still set high: “We want to win the Champions League”Mbappé explained at the press conference after his contract extension.
That’s how the season started
After five wins and a draw from the first six league games, the club in the capital can look forward to a tailor-made start. The offensive in particular has been convincing so far: With 5: 0, 5: 2 and 7: 1, the champions have already swept over Clermont, Montpellier and Lille. Overall, PSG have already scored a whopping 24 goals in their first six league games.
Meanwhile, the skirmishes on and off the pitch are not reflected in the top scorers list: Mbappé and Neymar are already leading the list with seven goals each. At the beginning of the season, however, Messi acted particularly as a string puller. “La Pulga” has already prepared six goals and always shone with his overview.
Difficult Champions League start against Juventus
At the start of the new Champions League season, a heavyweight is waiting with opponent Juventus Turin. The duel between the two European large calibers did not exist for a whopping 29 years. The Italians won 2-1 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. The other group opponents are Benfica Lisbon and Maccabi Haifa.