PSG Must Deliver Performance, Despite Difficulty of Their Task Against Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain are in Spain this week as they try to rescue their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona on Tuesday night. After Luis Suarez double in the first leg, the 3-1 scoreline gives the French side an almost impossible task to secure qualification, but this game means more than just their success this season.

Despite the total outlay spent of PSG’s squad since Qatari Sports Investment took over in 2011, the squad looked weak due to a number of injuries in key positions, bringing questions over the club's recruitment policy.

Suspensions to Marco Verratti, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Serge Aurier, injury to Thiago Motta, plus the forced first-half blow that saw Thiago Silva exit the game after just 21 minutes, ripped apart the spine of PSG’s team and gave them little chance of holding off Barcelona’s advances.

During the two group-stage games, PSG showed that they could hold their own against Luis Enrique’s side, but last week’s game was just too much of a stretch, especially without either Motta or Verratti to keep hold of the ball in midfield.

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Although they are capable of finding the back of the net against Barcelona, it would come as a huge shock if Blanc’s team were able to turn around the 3-1 deficit. What is more important on Tuesday is that the club shows a positive attitude. They have to believe they can beat Barcelona, even if it does ultimately end in elimination.

Every season in football’s biggest club competition comes the chance for PSG and Blanc to learn, adapt and develop. The away-goals victory over Chelsea showed a club that had learnt from their defeat 12 month previously.

Two years ago they lost on away goals to Barcelona, but now the ability to show positivity in the face of adversity would be the ideal way to exit the competition. Leave the Champions League with nothing more than a whimper and it will pile the pressure on Blanc’s ability to lead this squad towards glory.

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In the league PSG are joint level with Lyon, but with a game in hand over lowly Metz. The Parisians are closing in on a third consecutive Ligue 1 title, but that is not how Blanc will be judged. Winning the league to add to their Coupe de la Ligue and potential Coupe de France cup double, is the minimum expected.

Blanc, as a coach, will be judged on his performances in the Champions League. He gained a lot of respect for the Chelsea performance, but another heavy defeat at the hands of Barcelona with Ibrahimovic and Verratti back in the squad will cast doubts on his longevity.

It won’t be easy. It was confirmed on Monday that Brazilian Thiago Silva will miss the game, and doubts will be raised over the fitness of David Luiz, although he did play against Nice on Saturday.

For Blanc and his PSG team, it is not the eventual scoreline that is important, it is the performance and desire they show on the night.

Villarreal are the only side to score twice at the Camp Nou this season, but they lost 3-2. In the last 12 months only Real Madrid have left Cataluna with a victory after scoring twice. Even matching that wouldn’t be good enough for the away side, as the game finished 2-1.

However, if PSG can walk into the Camp Nou and leave with a positive performance, perhaps even a win on the night, it will go a long way in determining Blanc’s future and the way this team develops over the next 12 months.

They will have the chance to conquer the Champions League again next season, and how they cope with tough situations like Tuesday night, will determine how well they fare in future years and who will be part of the squad next season.