Could it be the happy new year for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League? Among European bookmakers, Paris is now a favorite to win its first cup with big ears, facing the other semi-finalists, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Barcelona. An observation shared by many specialists and former players from the Old Continent, impressed by PSG this season. For this, it will be necessary to pass the obstacle of the Gunners, in the semi-final return, Wednesday May 7, with a goal in advance scored in the first leg (1-0).
The course in the Champions League had started badly for men in the capital, with defeats in the League phase against Atlético de Madrid, Arsenal or Bayern Munich. But at the time already, PSG showed progress in the game, lacking efficiency. “We saw how a big team was when you beat them, Remember the Madrid Conor Gallaher, at the microphone of RMC Sport. They have a great chance [de gagner la Ligue des Champions]. It’s an incredible team “.
In recent times, praise on the Luis Enrique team are raining, and especially from across the Channel. It must be said that the English paid the heaviest price against Parisians, with a PSG victory against Manchester City in the league phase, then the successive eliminations of Liverpool and Aston Villa, before perhaps Arsenal? “These are not individual players within their team, they work for each other. The improvement that I have seen in PSG in the past three or four years is fantastic”Note Clinton Morrison, former Irish Crystal Palace and International player (36 selections), consultant for Sky Sports.
Jamie Carragher, winner of the C1 in 2005 with Liverpool, and now a consultant for CBS alongside Thierry Henry, also highlights the collective force of the Parisian club. “Seeing PSG winning this season would be really beneficial for football. This club tried to win it with Neymar, Messi, Mbappé … It would be a great story to see it winning it with a real team”he underlines in an interview with The team.
-This opinion is also shared by the Italian world champion Alessandro del Piero, for whom “Luis Enrique gave some PSG players a soul, such as Dembélé”. “You see him running everywhere, making the effort for a defensive withdrawal. You see that there is a union between all the players. Everyone plays for everyone”adds the Sky Italia consultant.
Former winners of the Champions League, the Portuguese Luis Figo and the Englishman Rio Ferdinand get wet: for them, the Parisians are even the favorites to win the Champions League. “They are very regular in terms of results and on the physical level”Avançait Figo Lors des Laureus Sport Awards. “It is a PSG that we have never seen before in this competition”for his part dared the former Mancunian on TNT Sport, after the quarter -finals.
Asked about these praise at the pre-match press conference against Arsenal, Luis Enrique welcomed it: “We are delighted with that, it is something very positive. I want to offer our supporters an attractive way of playing, because it is a spectacle”. There is no doubt that Parisian supporters would be satisfied with a qualification in the final on Wednesday, even with a little less spectacle, so as not to fall too high while expectations are growing.
