Just hours on from Paris Saint Germain beating Manchester City, the other favorite in this competition, it is apparent that a PSG Champions League success this season is vital.
PSG Champions League Success is Essential
Elusive
PSG have by no means been at their enthralling best so far this year, as this CBS Sports piece articulates about their latest Ligue 1 triumph over Montpellier. The “MNM” trio, as they are called, have not hit their high point yet. Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi make up potentially the most dangerous and devastating trio in the history of Football.
With the arrival of possibly the greatest player of all time, the expectations for this illustrious club went from probably having to win the Champions League to must win the Champions League.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his Quest for the Holy Grail
This competition has alluded the club since owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi took over the club in 2011. He has tried to win this competition at all costs and came tantalisingly close in 2020, losing to Bayern Munich in the final. They made the semi finals last year and fell short again at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s City.
Khelaifi has signed players from Neymar to Messi to Mbappe to Zlatan Ibrahamovic and Edinson Cavani and many more superstars in between. The Qatar sports mogul has thrown billions at the mission of taking home the Champions League but to no avail so far, much to his chagrin.
This hunger for glory motivated the summer move for Lionel Messi after reportedly showing interest in him last summer. He also went on a summer spending spree to land Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Georginio Wijnaldum all of which only cost 83 million Euros and strengthened numerous areas of the squad.
Pochettino Arrival and Talent of the Squad
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino was brought in to replace Thomas Tuchel, who would go on to Chelsea to win the Champions League which did not sit well with PSG or their owner. It was a warning to the owners that making bold decisions can sometimes work against you and it was Tuchel who had the last laugh.
The amount of pure footballing talent, coupled with one of the best coaches in the world makes them the odds-on favourite for this seasons competition.
Mbappe Contract Situation at a Standoff
The looming contract situation with Mbappe next summer could be a distraction as it ends on July 1 2022 meaning he will become a free agent. He will be coveted by many of the big teams should he maintain his desire to leave Paris with Real Madrid offering 160 Million euros which was firmly rejected by PSG.
Mbappe has seemed uninterested in negotiating with PSG and wants to leave for Madrid next summer. There were even reports that he wanted to leave this summer and was actively pushing for his exit. Even with Messi and Neymar losing him would be a massive blow for the team and PSG need to take advantage whilst they still have his services. This is the year where they need to figure out a way to win it all costs.
Wages and Ages
There are numerous players on big wages who are the wrong side of 30 at the club when you consider you have Ramos, Wijnaldum, Messi, and Navas getting into the latter stages of their careers so the time to strike is now and they have all the ingredients to get them to the promised land.
There is no reason why they can’t be hoisting up the cup in Krestovsky Stadium in Russia at the end of May. All the money spent on this super team needs to come to fruition and start paying dividends for the owner, the club, and its fans. PSG have done everything they need to put themselves in this position and it is up to them to make it happen and complete the mission.
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