3 Issues for PSG to Fix to Make Next Step in Champions League
For the fourth consecutive season, Paris Saint-Germain were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.
The fixture against Manchester City was a winnable tie. That’s what makes it such a frustrating outcome for the Parisian giants.
Realistically, the team didn’t play well enough over the two legs. Missed chances in Paris and a failure to create chances in Manchester led to the 3-2 aggregate defeat.
PSG’s mission remains winning Europe’s elite competition, and to do that, they first need to reach the semi-finals.
Here are three issues PSG need to fix to make the next step in the Champions League.
1. Decide on Laurent Blanc's Future
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On the day of PSG's second leg against Manchester City, Laurent Blanc made the strange decision to change the formation, playing a 3-5-2 system that the players hadn’t even practiced that week.
According to Julien Laurens on BT Sport's European Football Show, it wasn't until the day of the game that the former France boss decided on his system, and even some of his senior players asked if he was sure of the move.
It failed, and there were parallels drawn to his decision to play two right-backs against Spain at the 2012 European Championships.
President Nasser al-Khelaifi said they would have to take the result into consideration and decide what to do at a later date.
The club need to decide if the former Bordeaux boss is the man to lead the team forward. This is not just a decision for one more year. This team is at the end of its current cycle, new players will be brought in and it will be up to Blanc to use them and develop them into a team.
There is no point in giving him another 12 months just to let him go. Some big recruitment decisions have to be made in the summer, and the decision to let Blanc shape them is one the club would have to stand by for two or three years.
If they don’t believe Blanc is the right coach to lead this team, they need to cut ties with him now.
2. Decide on the Best Game Plan
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian left-back Maxwell are set to leave the club this summer, per FourFourTwo. The latter will be replaced by Layvin Kurzawa in a like-for-like swap. With the France international ready to step up and become the first choice, only a back-up full-back will be needed this summer.
Replacing Zlatan, however, is an almost impossible task. You don't just replace the Swede; you have to move on completely.
PSG will have to decide what direction they want to take this team in, who they want to bring in and how they believe the team should play to stay competitive at the top.
They have looked poor when lacking creativity in the midfield areas, and one solution to that could be found in the way they finished the 2014/15 campaign.
Playing in the 4-3-1-2 was a small tweak on Blanc's existing formation, but it allowed more creativity in the centre of the park and gave some of his more attack-minded players' space to express themselves.
Putting the focus on Edinson Cavani would give the Uruguayan a second chance, and as a player who needs to feel loved, it could help him rediscover his best form.
PSG should give him a partner, someone more mobile, but not a winger and not a player with the style of Ibrahimovic. He needs an attacker he can play off and develop a relationship with.
Behind the front two, they could use one of Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria. The Argentinian forwards can also play in the midfield three, giving the team an attacking look, something that would work well in Ligue 1.
Developing a more flexible system that adds more creative outlets and can work in both domestic and European competitions will be key to PSG pushing into the final four.
3. The Luck of the Draw
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The draw is everything. No matter what improvements you make and how far you plan to go, you need some luck in the final few rounds to ease your progress.
However, as Atletico Madrid proved this season, even the best teams can be beaten if you have a strong game plan and stick to it.
PSG need to make sure they win their group, giving them a potentially easier last-16 fixture. Then it's anyone’s tournament.
Due to the lack of competition in Ligue 1, PSG's season is reduced to four games in the knockout stage of the Champions League. No matter their domestic success, their achievements are judged on their performances in the knockout stages—and rightly so.
Luck plays a huge role, but unlike this season, the players need to show up when the biggest tests arrive.
They failed to do that against Manchester City. That can't happen next season.
