ON DECRYPT
PSG will finally be able to celebrate its coronation. After three games without wins (no one in Strasbourg and defeats against Lille and Nantes), the Paris club has won the eighth title of champion of France in his history, without even having to play his match against Monaco on Sunday night. Lille, who was forced to win to postpone the deadline, was indeed held in check on the lawn of Toulouse, in the afternoon. Proof of a season of Ligue 1 dominated from end to end, this new coronation of the Qatari era, the sixth in eight seasons, was acquired in mid-April, while the Parisians still have six games to play. But the PSG, significantly higher than the competition, is he a champion of France so far?
Yes, the Parisians did the show ...
Rarely will a champion of France have so much crushed the competition. PSG were crowned on the 33rd day, with only three defeats (Lyon, Lille and Nantes) and three small draws (including two against Strasbourg). Parisians can now beat their own points record (96) set in the 2015-2016 season. But more than the statistics, they have, at times, delighted fans of beautiful game. The German coach Thomas Tuchel has imposed his signature, with a pressing and high recovery and rapid projections forward, breaking with style a little less flamboyant than his predecessors Laurent Blanc and Unai Emery.
The Parisians also inflicted memorable beating at the Parc des Princes, two successive 5-0 against Lyon and Amiens in October and especially an incredible 9-0 against Guingamp in mid-January. Even the long wounds of Neymar and Edinson Cavani have not hindered the relentless march ahead of partners Kylian Mbappé, current top scorer in Ligue 1.
... but the competition was not at the level
PSG has nothing to do with it, but the Ligue 1 season has been bland, without any suspense for the title. Lille, surprising and seductive second, has certainly brought a breath of fresh air with his talented young guard, capable of crushing the Parisians last Sunday (5-1). But the "big" clubs of the championship, supposed to compete with the club of the capital, never held their rank. AS Monaco, its most serious rival in recent years (champion in 2016-2017), had a cataclysmic season, marked by the dismissals of Leonardo Jardim and Thierry Henry and the return of the same Leonardo Jardim on the bench.
The two Olympics, Lyon and Marseille, have also stung their crisis. The OL, currently third, was far too inconsistent and had to face the sling of his supporters against his coach Bruno Genesio, who announced his departure at the end of the season. OM, who was aiming for the podium at least, also disappointed and could separate from his coach Rudi Garcia, strongly criticized by fans Marseille. This season, even more than the previous ones, the PSG lives on another planet.
An end of season that makes a task
Yes, a title of champion of France is always an event. But the end of the season PSG clearly tarnishes his coronation. The elimination in the round of 16 against a very weakened Manchester United (2-0, 1-3) has left traces, especially among fans. Since this new "remontada", the ultras CUP (collective ultra Paris) have multiplied the hostile banners and even observed a strike encouragement during the "classic" against OM, mid-March (3-1).
In recent weeks, Thomas Tuchel has also been confronted with a cascade of injuries (Neymar, Cavani, Di Maria, Marquinhos ...), forcing him to "tinker" his 11 start. Without many executives, PSG has lined up three games without victories in Ligue 1, including a humiliating defeat to Lille (5-1), his dolphin and Nantes (3-2). In this context, the final of the Coupe de France against Rennes, next Sunday at the Stade de France, is of paramount importance for Parisians. A defeat, in a competition of which they are quadruple holders of the title, would pass very, very badly with the leaders, like supporters.