OneFootball
Phil Costa·1 August 2019
OneFootball
Phil Costa·1 August 2019
Paris Saint-Germain won their sixth Ligue 1 title in seven years last season, but it wasn’t all smiles under Thomas Tuchel.
Their incredible collapse against Manchester United saw them knocked out of Europe, while their Coupe de France final defeat to Rennes reflected poorly on everyone.
Were they just teething issues or can they put things right this time?
Nothing groundbreaking but some smart additions nonetheless.
Pablo Sarabia was an absolute bargain (€19m) from Sevilla, while Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye add depth to midfield.
Snapping up Abdou Diallo – one of the best young centre backs in France – will also shore up their defence.
Champions League success. PSG have not progressed further than the quarter-finals in their last five seasons.
Is it a mentality thing? Are the side just lacking depth? Do the team need more experience together in high pressure situations?
Either way, it’s the holy grail for Nasser Al-Khelaifi and QSI – and his job could depend on it.
It’s hard to look past Kylian Mbappé who is slowly becoming their main man.
He is absolutely frightening. Pace, skill, finishing ability – what more could you want in a forward?
In order to generate revenue, the Parisians sold two of their most promising players: Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen) and Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig).
But there are defenders hoping to break through. Colin Dagba is an exciting right back, full of energy and accomplished defensively.
Stanley N’Soki – capable of playing centre back and left back – deserves more opportunities too.
Home: 6/10
Away: 3/1o
That it will be Tuchel’s second season in charge.
The German is very eccentric, demanding and his style can be difficult for players to adapt to right away.
But hopefully after one full season and another pre-season to work with everyone, success is around the corner.
The circus surrounding Neymar. Everybody knows he is difficult, but this summer it’s been ramped up.
It’s clear that he doesn’t want to be at PSG anymore but how will the dressing room react moving forward?
Will they look past it? Will he get his head down? Either way, there’s an elephant in the room.
Ligue 1: 1st Champions League: Quarter-finals Coupe de France: Winners Tropheè des Champions: Winners