Saint-Germain pays the price for Mbappe’s absence and his players ’indiscipline
A new season for Paris Saint-Germain has ended without reaching the Champions League title in football, to the satisfaction of his administration, which concluded the two most expensive deals in history to place it at the top of the continental pyramid.
But one of the two sides of this duo, young striker Kylian Mbappe, missed the semi-final second leg yesterday against Manchester City, with an injury, similar to Brazilian Neymar in 2018 and 2019 in the round of 16 against Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The new Argentine coach, Mauricio Pochettino, was hoping to keep his hopes out, after losing at home 1-2, but a quick goal by Algerian Riyad Mahrez, who later achieved the double, avoided the risk of entering Mbappe even if for a few minutes at the end of the match. Saint-Germain will not reach the final for the second season in a row, as it continues its advance among the major continent, hoping to translate the huge investments of its Qatari owners since 2011, especially the spending of 400 million euros (480 million dollars) to join Neymar from Barcelona, Spain, and Mbabé from Monaco.
Mbappe starred with a hat-trick against Barcelona and a double against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final round this season, but his injury betrayed him, while his Italian substitute, Mauro Icardi, was far from the level of City's defense, to the point that the capital team was unable to hit goalkeeper Ederson's goal since the 28th minute of the first leg. .
"He lost his temper," his
players lost their nerve at the end of the icy match at the Etihad Stadium, with the Argentine ngel Di Maria being sent off for stomping on the Brazilian Fernandinho and warning others, before his players lined up accusing the referee, Björn Kepers, of insulting them. It is true that Saint-Germain failed twice against City, but on his way to the semi-final eliminated the giants Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the defending champion, prompting his Brazilian sporting director Leonardo to say to RMC: “We excluded clubs that were able to crown, just like us.” "Our permanent goal is to win, not to reach the semi-finals. I think that our level in the last two seasons shows our ability to compete between the powerful to win the title."
Will the duo renew their contract?
The question remains about the near future in the capital's team. Leonardo must add new qualities to support Mbappe and Neymar, especially at center-back. But the most important thing is to keep the two stars, as negotiations continue to extend their contracts. Leonardo added, "We must follow up, keep the foundations laid. There is no time today to decide or announce anything. We can be proud of what we have achieved. We are not satisfied with the loss in the semi-finals, but this could happen against a team like Manchester City." "I am optimistic for the future," added the former international midfielder.
The future will be with Pochettino, coming in last January, instead of German Thomas Tuchel, who is on the threshold of the final with his new team, Chelsea.
The team will devote itself to its domestic benefits, as it is currently ranked second in the league, one point behind leaders Lille, three games before the end of the season.
"Let's focus on the future and prepare the team to win the games," said Pochettino, who comes from Tottenham. "The way we played the two games gives us hope for the future, to come back and try again."
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