At the Parc des Princes,
Ahahah, this new formula of the Champions League, yet another change to favor the big teams, with 36 teams and only 12 teams eliminated in the first round, it's nonsense. We knew how to have a laugh back then. Today, after having played half of the preliminary phase, the Parisians are laughing less, much less, especially after this defeat as surprising as it is worrying against Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday evening.
Because, with four small points in four matches (one victory, one draw and two defeats), PSG is now 25th in the group standings. And, for those who have not followed, or for whom the subtractions are still complicated (36-12=24), this would amount to an early elimination from the Champions League for the capital club. An earthquake, the big bang, even. “Yes, but wait, there are still four games left, you journalists are getting to work quickly,” a little voice said to us.
Kane and Haaland clashing
Yes, maybe. But when you need a huge ball from a goalkeeper to win your first match (Girona), get spanked in the second (Arsenal), move in the third (PSV Eindhoven) and crucified in the fourth (Atlético) , we imagine the worst for the rest of the program, which has very heavy things in store for PSG: a trip to Bayern Munich on the next day and the reception of Manchester City.
Add to that two trips to Salzburg and Stuttgart and you have the perfect itinerary for the last Throne Fair ghost train. By being optimistic, we focus on seven points. For the slightly darker version, we would have four small points. Suffice it to say that qualification is not at all certain, while the little friends of Lille, Monaco and Brest are almost guaranteed to compete in the next round. It's been bad for the flagship of French football on the continent in recent years.
Imagining PSG's crumbly defense against Harry Kane and Erling Haaland already gives us chills in places we never suspected. Seeing this team without a finisher manage against the Munich and Mancunian armadas seems unrealistic to us. Playing a decisive match for qualification against a Stuttgart also in the running, capable of winning at Giuseppe-Meazza against Inter, is not one of the most pleasant things in the world either.
“If the dynamic is this…”
Even Luis Enrique was quite cautious about the outcome of events on Wednesday evening. Asked if qualification was in danger, the former FC Barcelona coach responded quite quickly “without doubt.” (…) If the dynamic is like that… This competition started in a strange way with an abnormal draw for a team in hat 1. We should have won our three home matches and won them easily. This is going to be very difficult. There are four finals left. »
« We will try to qualify, added the Spaniard. Otherwise, the measures that need to be taken will be taken. Nobody gives up their arms at the Parc des Princes but I'm not sure that we will qualify given our ranking. This defeat puts us in a very complicated situation. »
On the side of Atlético de Madrid, who only had three small points before the match, we were also aware that this victory against PSG was important to deal a sharp blow to the morale of the evening host, as Nahuel Molina, the first scorer of the Colchoneros, explained it to us: “We knew it would be a difficult match, against a big team, so these are three important points against an opponent who will surely fight with us [au classement]. »
“No more room for error”
Before the Parisian supporters made a bleach cocktail early in the morning, Warren Zaire Emery reiterated that there was no worry: “The results [à mi parcours]when we look at the points, it is negative, but when we look at the matches, it is rather positive. We do everything to win every match, we give everything. It's one of the things we have to keep, continue to create chances, be in the opposing camp, dominate the match, the counter-pressing, and that should do it. »
And in the worst case, do like Pacho or Jan Oblak: appear a little evasive while explaining that with the new Champions League formula, you don't yet know very well how many points it will all be played out on. , everyone will understand. Finally, what is certain is that with four, five or six points, PSG will remain at the dock.
“We will have to take points to qualify,” summarized captain Marquinhos on Canal+ after the match against Atlético. Four points in four games with three games at home, we will have to look for points away, we are PSG. You shouldn't throw everything away. We no longer have the right to make mistakes. » We're not making you tell it, Marqui. Six points out of six against Bayern and City and we don't talk about it anymore.
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