How Will PSG React to Domestic and European Trophy Failures?

As finals go, Paris Saint-Germain's Coupe de France defeat to Rennes on Saturday night could not have been much worse.

After leading 2-0 through goals from Dani Alves and Neymar, the Ligue 1 champions collapsed. Presnel Kimpembe scored an own goal before Edson Andre Sitoe levelled the scores to send the match into extra time. That's when things really took a turn: Kylian Mbappe was shown a red card for a foul, and PSG went on to lose the game 6-5 in a penalty shootout.

Neymar scored his penalty, but he became the biggest story of the night when he then appeared to punch a supporter while walking to collect his runners-up medal.

It was a complete mess of a night through PSG's eyes—and the aftermath has included whispers about whether Thomas Tuchel is the right man to remain as boss.

After a season that also saw them eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Manchester United in the round of 16, it was reported by Neil Moxley of The Mirror that Rafa Benitez—currently in charge of Newcastle United but with uncertainty surrounding his future—could take over in Paris from the end of the season.

A season that ends in just one trophy, despite building a side that includes two of the world's biggest attacking stars in Mbappe and Neymar, is clearly not living up to expectation.

By speaking to experts and supporters of the club, we went to find out how the end of season nightmare is being dealt with by those most affected.

THE FRENCH PRESS' JUDGEMENT

Adam White is chief features writer at website Get French Football News and has been on hand to monitor how things have changed between PSG's Champions League defeat to United and Saturday's cup final agony.

The immediate fallout from the loss to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men sent shockwaves through the national media pages.

"There's a slight change from the defeat to United, which was seen as an utter disaster given that the Champions League has become a club obsession and really the only competition that matters for [club owners Qatari Sports Investments]," he told B/R. "L'Equipe's front page the morning after read 'Even Worse'—in reference to the 6-1 at the Nou Camp. This time, however, a lot of the coverage has focused on Rennes and, sportingly at least, this hasn't been taken in the same way. The focus more broadly has been Rennes' first trophy for 48 years, the revenge of [former PSG player] Hatem Ben Arfa and president Olivier Letang (formerly PSG sporting director) as well as the rise of young coach Julien Stephan.

"Generally, Rennes' win was seen as a positive for French football."

PROTESTS IN THE STANDS

PSG's fans let their team know the United result was not acceptable. For the regulars at Parc des Princes, it was not so much the result that hurt but the performance.

"The atmosphere is not great as it was before that game," explains season ticket holder Roy Amikam. "At the first game at home after the elimination, PSG's ultras did not cheer the team for the first 15 minutes in order to show their disappointment."

Lee Davey lives in England but has a PSG season ticket and watches among the Collectif Ultras Paris. He admits there was a worrying vibe among the players during the United defeat.

"Raising your game for Europe's elite teams can sometimes be a problem, but more often than not it's the mental approach to games where PSG suffer," he said. "For example, away at Old Trafford the tie should have been over with United's suspensions and injuries. But PSG approached the game unprofessionally, like they were playing Dijon or Toulouse. They were subsequently beaten.

"The same happened against Barcelona in 2017 after being 4-0 up from the first leg. I'm actually convinced that if PSG had faced a full strength Man United team in the second leg, they would have beaten them. "

THE NEYMAR EXPERIMENT 

A weak mentality is an accusation often thrown at PSG when they suffer an unexpected loss, but many of their fans would also point to the fact that they did not have Neymar fit for the United tie.

His £198 million transfer from Barcelona in 2017 was one of the most stunning moves of all time. It was engineered with Champions League glory in mind.

Two seasons on, that ambition remains a dream.

He is waiting to discover his full punishment for the altercation with the fan from Saturday night and is also reflecting on a season in which he missed 22 matches through injury.

Matt Gooding is a regular on podcast PSG Talk and is supportive of his attitude. He said: "A lot of the criticism Neymar gets is disproportionate to his offences. I generally don't really mind when players have a go back at fans who have been winding them up, but obviously taking that to the level of a physical altercation crosses the line, so he deserves whatever punishment is coming.

"It's a sign of his frustration at how things have gone at PSG so far. The injuries have really stopped him contributing in the biggest matches, but there have been signs under Tuchel that he's willing to knuckle down and work hard for the team, so for me he's still a big asset.

"Next season could be make or break for his time at PSG, though; if he wants it to be 'his' team in the same way Barcelona is Lionel Messi's then he needs to take a leadership role in a squad lacking in inspirational figures. Whether he has the maturity to do that remains to be seen."

Neymar has still managed 21 goals and 12 assists from 25 appearances this season, and Loukman Ould from fan site Paris United is adamant that his signing has been completely worthwhile.

"In my opinion, Neymar brought PSG into another galaxy by himself," he said. "Not only in pure sport, but with his image. We can see this through our website in terms of the international branding now of PSG. He has become our leader, and I hope he will remain so for a long time to come. 

"I hope everything will go better next season. I think he's even more impatient than I am! In my opinion, we have not yet been able to see him at full power—I hope that next season will be the blessed one for us."

TUCHEL IN TROUBLE?

Tuchel joined PSG as manager in May on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery. He is seen as one of the most ambitious, progressive coaches in the game—and sources insist he remains completely focused on achieving success at the very highest level in Paris.

The rumours over his future are triggered by the fact that president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is known to be driven by European success. The last-16 loss to United hurt, but that it was to a late goal and in a match when Neymar was unavailable helps his cause.

The defeat to Rennes has added some fresh doubt to whether he is the right man to lead them forward, yet reports in France indicate that he will extend his contract rather than lose his job.  

"A new deal was signed at the end of March and he is now on €7.5 million a year until 2021," insists White. "PSG have been forced to hold back the announcement as the recent spate of awful form has not presented them with an opportunity from announcing without being ridiculed.

"That does not mean that his future is not more uncertain since the Coupe de France final loss. Tuchel said this week that he didn't feel he was under threat but that he's 'not naive.'"

Franco Galluzzo, a highly respected fan on Twitter for all things PSG, is adamant he should stay in place.

"Tuchel definitely isn't the issue here," he told B/R. "He has made some declarations taking shots at Nasser for limiting him to buy the players he wanted. Tuchel is really appreciated here and shouldn't leave this season."

Xavier Ruiz has been a fan of the club for 12 years and added: "There's no point in sacking a manager who checks off all the boxes and only lacked the result. What's the point of bringing in a new manager when a new philosophy will be implemented, different set of players looked at and different sets of players needing to be sold?"

CHANGING THE MENTALITY

So Tuchel stays, Neymar stays...what else is needed for PSG to step up to the next level and become European champions?

Frequently mocked for the lack of competitive games in Ligue 1—rivals on social media love to joke about it as a "Farmers' League"—PSG need to find some resolve. 

"The biggest issue has been our mentality and our desire to win, the team needs more confidence and to be more decisive when it most matters," says Galluzzo. "The transfer market will fix some things, but not every single problem."

The answer can not be to simply dip back into the transfer market, and Ruiz explained: "My biggest fear is that PSG's infrastructure will start to devolve into the situation that Chelsea find themselves in currently.

"Tuchel has had one season and, unlike [Chelsea manager Maurizio] Sarri, he has proven to be adaptable, fast thinking and a decent leader who cares about the team. That's visible on and off pitch. Has he made mistakes? Yeah of course. Has he had a terrible season only winning the league this year? Yeah, no doubt.

ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/Getty Images

"But the important thing that has to be highlighted is long-term development and legacy. That's what I got out of the 'QSI Plan' when it was initiated. To get PSG to Champions League glory but to also maintain that level of excellence.

"PSG's goal isn't to be like Ajax, winning the Champions League every couple of decades, it's to maintain the Parisian club as one of the elites, not one to be joked about. Tuchel needs time and the full support of players he wants. A lot of our embarrassments came down to lack of depth and quality in players, not necessarily tactical issues. We outplayed United in the second leg but just couldn't put the ball in the net." 

Loukman added: "We have to make sure that Thomas Tuchel and Antero Henrique put aside their differences and work together to make the club grow."

Henrique is PSG's sporting director and has made plenty of headlines for apparent fallouts with Tuchel over transfer targets. He will be staying in place for next season, with a plan to work better with Tuchel while also making sure the club remain within Financial Fair Play boundaries. 

"This year was symptomatic of problems that have existed in the club for many years, particularly in terms of recruitment," Loukman says."

Nabil is a PSG fan who lives in the French capital. He explains why there is need for further investment this summer: "The thing to blame in particular for how this season has finished is the lack of depth in the squad combined with the injuries we have had to deal with. We have the smallest squad of Ligue 1 so we need players in all positions—and also someone with a big pair of balls!"  

THE NEXT TRANSFER WINDOW 

Reports on Thursday suggested PSG's owners QSI are considering scaling back their involvement with the club, yet there is little doubt some further investment in the team is sure to go ahead.

"The biggest fix needed is in midfield," says Gooding. "We've lacked physical presence since Thiago Motta's decline and Blaise Matuidi's departure two summers ago, and though Tuchel has tried to get around this by using Marquinhos and Julian Draxler, these were only ever going to be temporary solutions.

"The jury is still out on January arrival Leandro Paredes. FFP is still an issue with regards to making signings, so the rumoured arrival of Ander Herrera on a free could be a canny move. But the main thing we need is a pure defensive midfielder, I would love Lyon's Tanguy Ndombele ... but suspect he will be out of our price range."

Yet targeting the players Tuchel wants and then actually signing them is one area that could continue to hold them back. The recruitment process will come under scrutiny this summer, as explained by GFFN's White.

"A lot is made of the fact that Tuchel repeatedly complains about the state of the squad," he said. "It has long been a concern, while his relationship with the board, and Henrique in particular, has become more than strained of late, with L'Equipe describing him as 'lonely' this week.

"The lack of a transfer policy based on reason, recruitment driven instead by the desires of a small handful of agents, means that Tuchel has been using Dani Alves and Juan Bernat as central midfielders while PSG have barely filled their bench in the last two months. However, given younger players are available to fill the gaps, this is Tuchel making a point to the board more than anything else.

"Unfortunately for Tuchel, while he may not be sacked after recent failures, his position has undoubtedly been weakened, and it means he is unlikely to have as much influence in the market this summer."

Next season will bring fresh hope to Paris. But for Tuchel there could be more problems.