PSG may have a lot of star power in the team, but that is no guarantee of success. Indeed, it seems as though their team is seriously lacking balance.
While they may be streaking clear in Ligue 1, there remains quite a few doubts about their ability to compete with the very best teams in Europe. Their meeting with Manchester City last night was the latest evidence of such, with the English side dominating the visitors at The Etihad.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino has been known to employ a high energy pressing style in the past, but that is all but impossible at his current team. The presence of Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe on the pitch make it very difficult to defend from the front. In short, they don't seem willing to put in the hard yards.
That is not a recipe for success against teams who have managed to blend their star power with a real work ethic.
Speaking on CBS Sports last night, Jamie Carragher summed up why PSG were going nowhere in Europe with this current side.
“I don’t believe teams can carry anybody now”@carra23 believe PSG won’t win the #UCL because of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe 👀 pic.twitter.com/CkQcRWLQX2
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 24, 2021
I don't believe that teams can carry anybody now. If you look at the four teams that one of them will probably win the Champions League -Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, or Bayern Munich - they do not carry one passenger in the team.
PSG are carrying three. They've got absolutely no chance of winning the Champions League, absolutely no chance.
I get frustrated watching, with Mbappe more than anybody and I'll tell you the reason why. You can almost understand Messi to a certain extent, he's 34 and he's got to save himself for certain moments. I still don't think you can carry him, let's not forget that Barcelona have not won a Champions League for a long time.
But Mbappe is 22. He should be sprinting back and helping his teammates up against a top Man City team. This thing of walking around the pitch, it's not for me.
When I see Salah and Mane for Liverpool, they're sprinting everywhere. I see De Bruyne, Mahrez, and Sterling the same, Thomas Muller and Lewandowski for Bayern Munich.
I don't care how good they are, they don't work for the team. Them days of carrying passengers in teams are gone.
There four best teams in Europe now, the other teams won't win it. I've said this about Ronaldo (at Manchester United) as well, but at least Ronaldo's getting goals. He is a passenger without the ball, but his goals are making up for it at the minute.
In the Champions League games, and certainly tonight, their goals haven't made up for it. Unless you score, you're carrying passengers.
At this level of football you'll have no chance. Manchester United won't win the Champions League (either).
It's difficult to argue with that assessment.
While PSG's individual quality will get them through in a lot of games, it is difficult to see them sustaining that against the best sides in Europe over the course of a full season. That front three may be full of goals, but it lacks the other fundamentals required to win at the very highest level.
SEE ALSO: Roy Keane Explains The Background To Viral Confrontation With United Fan
