Champions League: what place is left for City and PSG coaches?

Virginie Phulpin 7:25 am, September 28, 2021

PSG receives Manchester City this evening for the second day of the Champions League. One of the big posters of the competition, between two clubs which are among the favorites for the final victory. We very often compare these behemoths with almost unlimited budgets. But, for Virginie Phulpin, there is a huge difference, it is the place left to the coach. 

Common points between PSG and Manchester City, there are some in spades. Two favorites for the final victory, two clubs owned by extremely wealthy states in the Middle East, Qatar for PSG and the United Arab Emirates for the English, which materialize their rivalry through football, and two super powerful clubs which have not yet hooked the Champions League to their charts. They both prove to us that money does not buy happiness, or at least that it is not enough for happiness at first. So we can quibble for a long time about the enemy brothers of football, cousin clubs that run after the same glory. But what is obvious on this match day is, on the contrary, the size difference between these two rivals.

If you are asked to name the names that matter in Manchester City, there is no suspense, the first will be Pep Guardiola, the coach, and the players will come in behind, even though there are high-sounding names, from Kevin de Bruyne to Riyad Mahrez.

In Paris it is the other way around.

We will first release the names of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, well before that of coach Mauricio Pochettino.

And that's anything but a detail, it's the symbol of two very distinct ways of approaching football, of building a team and of prioritizing. 

At Manchester City, the boss is the coach, but not at Paris Saint-Germain?

Virginie Phulpin read Samir Nasri's interview in the Journal du Dimanche. The neo retiree has evolved under the orders of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Not very long, but long enough to be marked for life. And he explains that with the Catalan coach, all the players have a specific place on the field and must know exactly where each partner is to set up the desired game. And whatever your name is, if you don't respect that, you go out. Bar point. And everyone understands the philosophy.

While in Paris, when Mauricio Pochettino brought Lionel Messi out of the field 10 days ago, it turned into psychodrama.

Because the players are more important than the coach.

And it shows in the game. When you see Manchester City play, you see Pep Guardiola's leg.

When you watch PSG, good luck finding the Pochettino leg.

We still don't know how PSG want to play.

So be careful, that does not mean that Paris cannot win, that Paris cannot win the Champions League before Manchester City.

Everything is possible with great players.

But in the meantime, the English club have a recognizable playing identity everywhere.

PSG have stars, that's all.

It's already not bad that said ...