When Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, admitted that he didn’t know how he was going to stop Paris Saint-Germain’s front three of Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr., many dismissed the comment, but as it turns out, he was right.
On this episode of PSG Talking, I’m joined by James Ridge from the PSG Unrestricted podcast to discuss PSG’s 2-0 win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. If you’re a PSG supporter, you know it’s difficult to find insightful commentary, in English, about PSG, so make sure to give them a follow and subscribe to their podcast.
Top of Group A✅
Messi goal✅
Clean sheet✅Here’s what @JRidge_Journo and @JoelSritharan_ thought about #PSGMCI and the impact of Marco Verratti ⬇️#Messi #Neymar #Mbappe #PSG https://t.co/cHRHuEkHIT
— PSG Unrestricted (@PSGUnrestricted) September 29, 2021
We begin this episode with James sharing his overall thoughts on the win that wasn’t as convincing as the scoreline might indicate. PSG was put under pressure by City for most of the night, but as James states, it was a real statement of intent for what is to come throughout the rest of the season.
Next, we highlight the midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, Ander Herrera, and Marco Verratti. They were instrumental in the performance and without their defensive determination, City could have gone on to win this match. Gueye stood out especially with a goal in the eighth minute, but later in the first half, he was on the receiving end of a reckless challenge from Kevin De Bruyne. The City star only received a yellow card for the tackle but we discuss whether he should have been sent off immediately.
Moving on from the midfield, we address the performance of PSG’s three superstars: Mbappé, Messi, and Neymar. While Messi did score his first goal since arriving from FC Barcelona, the performance from MNM didn’t live up to expectations. What changes does Mauricio Pochettino need to make to unlock their potential?
Later in the show, we praise PSG’s defense, which stood strong against City’s waves of attacks, and debate whether or not Gianluigi Donnarumma has won the starting goalkeeper role over Keylor Navas.
We wrap up the show by having a laugh at our La Liga friends who had a difficult week in the Champions League and I ask James about how he became a PSG fan and if he’s seeing more PSG kits in England.
As always, thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe and rate the show wherever you download your podcasts. We’re also on Discord! Come join PSG fans from around the world and have your opinion heard.
