Paris Saint-Germain players celebrate a goal during the Ligue 1 match against Olympique Lyonnais, at the Parc des Princes, in Paris, April 21, 2024. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Some ideas take time to infuse. And then there are those of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), whose main directions come and go, evolve according to disappointments in the European Cup and sometimes prosper. The twelfth French champion title won by the capital club, Sunday April 28, thanks to Monaco’s defeat in Lyon, validates the change of course announced in June 2022 by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
“Maybe we should change the slogan. “Dream bigger” [“rêver plus grand”], that’s good, but today we have to be more realistic. We no longer want flashy, bling-bling, it’s the end of glitterthe president of the capital club already warned two years ago in an interview with Parisian. We expect all players to do a lot more than last season. Much more ! »
It is not yet time to take stock of a season far from over for PSG, since they are still able to achieve an unprecedented treble for a French club, in the event of victory in the Champions League – Paris faces Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals, on May 1 and 7 – and in the final of the Coupe de France, on May 25, against Lyon. And it is not by the yardstick of its performances in Ligue 1 that the capital club is judged, as it outrageously dominates the championship – thanks in particular to its resources, incommensurate with those of its rivals.
The results do not always correspond to the feelings. Thus, in 2023, if Paris had been leader of the ranking from the first to the last day of the championship, the season was unanimously perceived as one of the worst of the Qatari era. Conversely, this year, the French champion only took the lead in Ligue 1 at the end of the 12th day, while it is this season that the turnaround initiated two years ago seems having operated. “The star of this Parisian group is the collective”welcomes Luis Fernandez, former player and coach of PSG.
Read our story (2023): Article reserved for our subscribers Paris Saint-Germain, French champion… despite everything
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“The most consistent PSG since Blanc”
When Nasser Al-Khelaïfi made this turning point, in June 2022, Paris had just won Ligue 1, but coach Mauricio Pochettino knew that he was going to be sacked. Lionel Messi completes his first season at PSG, but the break is complete with the supporters. The capital club is preparing to welcome Christophe Galtier and his legal setbacks, to experience a new failure in the Champions League, to be accused of laxity towards Neymar and Messi, accused of placing themselves above the ‘institution.
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2024-04-28 19:05:02
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