09 March 2023 , 10:49
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Paris Saint-Germain ’s Champions League troubles only appear to be getting worse after seeing their latest campaign once again ended at the last-16 stage.
The French giants fell to Bundesligsa champions Bayern Munich - losing both legs to suffer a 3-0 aggregate defeat. Despite the huge outlay by the club’s Qatari owners, that means that PSG’s best finish is just one final appearance, that game also ending in defeat to the German juggernaut.
PSG’s current malaise in Europe is baffling given the great expense that they have gone to in an effort to secure a Champions League title. The arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the summer of 2017 for what would be a combined £400m took their already lofty levels of spending to new heights.
Barcelona icon Lionel Messi was thought to be the final piece of the puzzle as he arrived at the Parc des Princes on a free transfer. After all, the Argentine had been there and done it after claiming four European titles during his spell in Catalonia.
In the two seasons that the World Cup winner has been in the French capital, PSG have failed to go past the round of 16. Messi also failed to inspire his side against Bayern having exchanged just five passes with strike partner Mbappe.
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It was certainly an intriguing turn of events considering that former France international Christophe Duggary had suggested that the duo would perform even better in the absence of Brazilian forward Neymar. Speaking ahead of the tie at the Allianz Arena, he said: "I’m glad for PSG that Neymar is injured.
PSG have not progressed past the last 16 of the Champions League since Messi's arrival (Getty Images)Will Lionel Messi still be at PSG next season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“I believe it’s an amazing stroke of luck for Christophe Galtier. This team is way more balanced with a 5-man defence, three midfielders and a Messi/Mbappé duo.“
“I can’t bear to see him [Neymar],” the 1998 World Cup winner added. “I just can’t anymore. I find him insufferable in his dribbling, his behaviour. I don’t want to see him on a pitch any more.”
With Neymar ruled out, the exact opposite happened. The pair have scored a combined 48 goals between them this season but struggled to really threaten Bayern at any stage throughout the game.
Amid the fallout of PSG's latest European failure, it has been suggested that the club’s approach to the transfer market must change, starting with the illustrious names in the French capital. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was a particular critic and urged Mbappe to leave, whilst ex-Bayern star Owen Hargreaves made a very similar claim in relation to the club’s approach to recruitment.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Carragher said: “I am delighted that PSG have gone out. I just don’t like the whole setup – everything about it. That is not a team, it is a mess.
“Five years of the last seven, they have gone out at the Round of 16. They have spent more money than anyone. They have the best players in the world.
Lionel Messi was meant to be the signing that would win PSG the Champions League (Getty Images)“And this is brilliant because it shows you how important it is to actually be a team. It is really important in football. We love individuals within a team but that is not a team. Kylian Mbappe has got to leave that club.”
Questions will now certainly turn to what the next stage is for the Parisiens. There is no doubt that spending of the level that they currently finance cannot be justified without silverware on the European front.
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Messi has a route out of the Parc des Princes given his contract expires at the end of the season with rumours of a return to Barcelona and a switch to MLS refusing to go away. Meanwhile, Mbappe’s future with the club continues to look uncertain despite putting pen to paper on a lucrative new contract only last year.
There also seems to be indifference within the PSG squad. Amid the club’s ongoing Champions League failures, Mbappe himself claimed that their German opposition was “built” to win the trophy - a claim that might not pacify the club’s supporters given that the current squad in Paris have nine Champions League winners’ medals between them.
Speaking after Wednesday’s defeat to PSG, the striker said: “Not much [difference] when you look at the state of both teams. They [Bayern] have a great team, they have a great squad, they have a team that is built to win the Champions League.
“As I said at the beginning of the season, in my first Champions League press conference that we were going to do our maximum. Our maximum, that’s it, that’s the truth. We’re going to challenge ourselves and go back to our daily routine, which is the championship.”
Whilst the club are now forced to focus on their battle, that will likely do nothing to satisfy the club’s wealthy owners. The question remains though whether another lucrative transfer splurge will solve their worsening European woes.