The capital club was eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday in the round of 16 by Bayern Munich. But his season continues and he still has three months of competition.
Every year, Paris Saint-Germain tries to push its rock to the top of the mountain, and ends up rolling down the slope. Eliminated from the knockout stages of the Champions League by Bayern Munich (0-1, 0-2), Wednesday March 8, the capital club put away its ambitions for European coronation from its first crucial meeting. of the season. While it still has three months of competition left, PSG only has Ligue 1 to play for, a championship that it must win, which is a duty before being an objective.
As during the pre-match, Christophe Galtier refused to acknowledge the failure of the Parisian season at a press conference: “We are going to make sure to get the title of champion. We must not minimize things. I will let people judge if it is a bad season if we are only champions”. Comfortably leading with eight points ahead of Marseille, twelve days to go, Paris has certainly not finished the job, but the lack of suspense prevents us from imagining an enticing spring. On a strictly sporting level, this may be the case, but other important projects are to be pursued.
Pursue its hegemony on the national scene
The prolific first steps of Christophe Galtier had given the impression of a return to the right track, but the flame waned in the fall and almost died out on the return from the World Cup. Beaten by Lens, Rennes, Marseille and Monaco in 2023, PSG gave credence to the thesis that it no longer scares everyone. Winning the championship for the second consecutive year by a substantial margin would put the church back in the middle of the village.
PSG are undoubtedly the most competitive French club, but they are no longer the tyrant they were in the mid-Laurent Blanc years or at the start of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure. Titled before the end of the season in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the capital club had to bow to Lille in 2021. If he recovered his throne in 2022, he no longer knows how to impose a reigns supreme.
Enjoying Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi
There are therefore twelve games left at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-2023 edition. It is likely that it will be the last of one, the other or both under the Parisian colors. At present, Lionel Messi’s contract only runs until June 30. If he does not extend by then, the Argentinian will leave the capital freely after two seasons which leave, for the moment, a taste of unfinished business. There are potentially only six appearances left for the seven-time Ballon d’Or at the Parc des Princes.
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With regard to Kylian Mbappé, the situation is even more blurred. The French prodigy extended a year ago, committing to the club of “his city” until 2025. If he has sent positive signals since his return from the World Cup, promising not to want anything Other than “making the heyday of PSG” the night he became the top scorer in the club’s history, the latter is regularly said about leaving. He himself has never hidden his dream of one day playing for Real Madrid. And the closer the end of his contract gets, the more his market value will drop.
Pursue the development of young people in a favorable context
Criticized for many years for not highlighting his young people enough, with a peak reached at the end of the mandate of Mauricio Pochettino (who gave almost no playing time to the nuggets of the training center even when his team was insured to be champion of France), the PSG was entitled to a refreshment this season. Christophe Galtier, for example, did not hesitate to establish Warren Zaire-Emery on several occasions, including in the round of 16 first leg against Bayern, despite his 16 years. The little that the midfielder has shown in twenty appearances has been enough to build high hopes, so much so that he is already not very far from passing Vitinha or Fabian Ruiz in the middle.
The pressure having subsided and the margin being sufficient in the championship, all the lights are green to give him more minutes, in the same way as El Chadaille Bitshiabu. Aged 17, the Parisian titi will have work, at least in the short term, because he will quickly have to make up for the absences of Presnel Kimpembe (unavailable until the end of the season), Marquinhos and Nordi Mukiele (both out injured on Wednesday). Nuno Mendes (20 years old), Ismaël Gharbi (18 years old), Hugo Ekitiké (20 years old) are also part of this list of talented players but to polish.