Paris Saint-Germain continues to disappoint in Ligue 1 play as they were defeated 1-0 to Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes on Sunday and fell to third place in the table.
Tino Kadewere’s goal in the 35th minute was all that Lyon needed to secure the three points as PSG looked sluggish and disinterested. Thomas Tuchel’s men only mustered one shot on goal in 90 minutes and to add insult to injury, Neymar Jr. was stretchered off with an ankle injury.
After a commanding 5-1 win over Istanbul Başakşehir F.K. last Wednesday to top Group H in the UEFA Champions League, supporters were right to expect a solid performance against Lyon, one of the teams battling at the top of Ligue 1. That wasn’t the case and Tuchel tried to explain why the overall performance was so poor (via Goal).
“It’s very simple, we weren’t ready for this match. I saw a very mentally tired team, we never found our rhythm. We didn’t play with enough confidence. We weren’t sufficiently focused and disciplined. It’s a big step back after the last game. I’m surprised, I expected a game of a higher level. I saw a game of a very low level. Not just us, the game in general.”
As if that was an indictment enough of Tuchel’s preparation, he continued to take the blame for the loss.
“It’s my fault, I didn’t feel the fatigue and that’s why I’m surprised. If I had this feeling yesterday, I would have made changes to start with a different mindset.”
There you have it. In Tuchel’s own words, PSG wasn’t ready for this match and it was his fault for not realizing the players he chose in the starting lineup were mentally tired. That is the job of the manager and today, Tuchel has failed.
Due to financial reasons brought on by COVID-19 and the fact that PSG qualified for the knockout stage, Tuchel will remain as manager, but it’s hard to imagine him staying on beyond this season.
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