Five weeks, 35 days. This is the time that separates Paris from the most important meeting of its season. As every year, the Parisian exercise will be judged on its course in the Champions League and the prospect of finding Real Madrid in mid-February in the round of 16 does not bode well. Since the start of the season, Paris has been trailing a curious paradox. The vice-champion of France has free rein in Ligue 1 at the end of a first part of the exercise where no one has been able to keep up. However, it combines questions, uncertainties and, of course, doubts. Will this PSG, transfixed on every Lyon incursion during the first hour of play at Groupama Stadium, be able to resist the master in the matter, Real Madrid?
Kylian Mbappé against OL
Credit: Getty Images
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Paris disease, comfort
Paris today suffers from an illness that has already won out in the Champions League: that of comfort. He no longer knows how to hurt himself, spends his weekend giving the bare minimum and hopes for a spectacular metamorphosis in C1 to meet his goals. He has already achieved such a feat, last year for example when he lost to Lorient, Monaco or Lille in the league while outclassing Barça and leaving the Munich favorite from the C1. It is his fantastic individualities, Mbappé and Neymar in particular, which allowed him to spend the winter without trouble in Europe.
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Permanent tinkering, especially in midfield, places this team in permanent instability. She had six months to integrate Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma and come forward as the ultimate favorite in the Champions League. Not only has his status never seemed so fragile, not only, apart from the Italian doorman, the recruits have all disappointed but, in addition, the six months have rather marked a collective regression.
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“It’s difficult to talk about progress, because in football, everything is very subjective. The circumstances are what they are. We talk above all about the result to draw an analysis”, tried to explain Mauricio Pochettino after the draw in Lyon. Problem, the PSG coach can no longer even use the results as a shield. Main responsible for the situation, the Argentinian, with such a poor record that one wonders how he has been able to survive so far the intransigence of QSI in matters of coach, does not breathe anything, gives no direction, does not emanate any collective certainty. After a year of searching, he has 35 days to find. Good luck.
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