“It’s over, it seems like we have seen this before.” These were the words on pundits and commentators lips to describe how Bayen Munich sent PSG out of the Uefa Champions League. Parading talents like Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and others, PSG were fan favourites going into the Champions League. After a hard-fought battle, the French giant could not overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg. Many die-hard fans shed tears, but the beautiful game must go on.
The final match is to be played on June 10th at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium to determine the ultimate winner. Seeing that the game could go either way, fans know to put sentiment aside and use a platform like oddschecker to compare free bets from multiple sportsbooks before each match.
In any case, Paris Saint Germain subpar performance was written bodly in the face of their fans. Could it be the injury that Neymar suffered? Here are three factors that could have led to the loss
Pressing Upfront
Pressing upfront is one of the most important aims in football. Rather than take a low-block approach and giving the opposition time and space to think and play out from the back, virtually all professional team press high up the pitch with intense pressure in an attempt to win the ball back and go on the attack right away, closer to the opposition’s goal.
Tactical deficiency of the PSG team’s ability to press upfront was a major weakness. Elite managers have come and gone, but have always had to deal with their star players failures when it comes to pressing upfront as well as performing their defensive responsibility of tracking back. In this particular match, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe could be seen pacing around Bayern’s defenders, giving them chances to exploit free spaces and play from the back frequently.
Playing as A Team
Another factor that led to Bayern Munich trouncing Paris Saint Germain was their inability to play together as a team and create goal scoring opportunities. The responsibility of finding the back of the net seems to have been delegated to Messi and Mbappe exclusively. The first leg of the encounter was a passive display until Kylian Mbappe was introduced into the match in the second half.
The return leg in Germany had Mbappe and Messi trying hard to create chances for themselves. It was no surprise that Vitinha could not utilize the golden opportunity that was presented to him after Bayern’s goalkeeper Jan Sommer made a mistake playing out. Vitinha almost had the ball in the net but was denied by an outstanding goal-line clearance from De Ligt’s.
If Paris Saint Germain are going to fight for a place in the finals and not just the French ligue 1 and domestic titles, they need the team firing in all cylinders.
Leadership Failings and Injuries
PSG have a brute and stern coach in Galtier but, on the field, who leads the team into battle? PSG’s captain, who could have demanded more from his teammates, had to be subbed off because of his injury. Marquinhos, a leader at the heart of defense and a respected voice on the pitch, was unavailable. Kimpembe, who could have carried out the task, was also injured.
With both players out on the bench, the other leaders on the pitch appeared to be ceremonial. Messi and Sergio Ramos, who have won titles on the big stage before, could not inspire the team. The commanding performance that they displayed at their previous clubs is nowhere to be seen at PSG.
The onus is always on PSG to win any encounter in the Champions League. However, the team keeps dashing fans and punters hopes. The Champions League is an elite competition that requires any club to focus on working as a team. PSG can make a name for themselves on the biggest stage if they try to fix these issues and fight for each other.
