French champions PSG will go yet another season without the Champions League trophy after being eliminated in the round of 16 by Bayern Munich. Les Parisiens poor performances across both legs saw them lose 3-0 on aggregate.
They have now failed to win the tournament in 12 out of the 12 seasons since Qatar Sports Investments acquired the club to make them one of the richest sports franchises on the planet.
Despite PSG accruing an eyewatering net spend of €1.1 billion since QSI arrived on the scene, not even the efforts of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe have been enough to bring the big-eared trophy to the French capital.
Just how do they react to another European disappointment, though? Well, their league form is still intact, and they look set to win their 11th Ligue 1 title.
They are 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille at the time of writing and have shown little sign of letting up in their campaign to number 11. Christophe Galtier currently sits on a winning record of 71% since taking over as head coach in July 2022.
So in terms of the immediate future, the best way that PSG can react is by winning the league. However, fans of the French champions cannot ignore the club’s underachievement in Europe, and some scapegoats have emerged from the Bayern game.
Vitinha, Marco Verratti, and Fabian Ruiz have all been lambasted by PSG fans in the time since their exit from the Champions League. Many of them have called for them to be sold as soon as the chance presents itself.
With their Wednesday and Tuesday nights now Champions League-free, PSG supporters will need to find joy elsewhere. One such answer could be Rainbow Riches Casino, one of the most popular slingo games in the world.
The Champions League is not the only tournament that Galtier’s side has disappointed in this season, however. Title challengers Marseille knocked out the French giants in the Coupe De France back in February.
This leaves the Ligue 1 title as the only piece of available silverware for Mbappe and co this season. Whilst, of course, they would be pleased to lift the trophy, it is nothing more than what was expected of them.
But where exactly did they go wrong in Europe? Whilst the aforementioned scapegoats were certainly part of the problem, questions have to be asked of their biggest stars.
Starboy Kylian Mbappe was well below par across both legs, failing to have any real impact. Professed ‘GOAT’ Messi also performed to a standard beneath what we, as football fans, have come to expect of him.
The former had a dribble success rate of just 20% across both legs, with many of the PSG loyal asking where he had been for the 120 minutes he spent on the pitch. Mbappe himself has claimed that his side simply ‘aren’t good enough’ to win the champions league.
Messi’s torrid time in the first leg was accented by the fact that he lost the ball on a whopping 18 occasions. This was more than any other player across both legs.
It is once again back to the drawing board then for Les Parisiens, and we can expect major changes in the summer. With Sergio Ramos and Messi’s contracts up in June, neither has done enough to warrant extensions, and it may be time to move past signing big-name stars.
A constant flow of superstars over the last 10+ years has not been enough to bring home the big-eared trophy, and one more failure may be a huge moment in their history. It is worth noting that this Bayern side is far from the best we’ve seen, but the ease with which they brushed past PSG is alarming for the French side.
They seem to be lacking that secret ingredient that teams like Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern have discovered in recent years. And this is clearly not an issue they can throw money at, even with former winners such as Neymar, Ramos, and Messi among their ranks.
To put it simply, PSG does not know how to win in this competition. It is not enough to have shiny toys; you need to know how to use them.
It may even be a case of taking their foot off the break in the league to focus on Europe. But that is a very dangerous game to play.
A new club chief or Director of football could help steer them in the right direction. Whatever it is they need to do; it is evident that they must find the answer quickly.
Fans have grown restless about their constant disappointments in the biggest club tournament in world football, and QSI themselves must be angered at their alarming lack of progress to that end since their arrival.
