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| Is PSG on cheat mode in the French Ligue 1 this season? (Photo credit: BT Sport) |
The 2021 transfer window slams shut for major leagues and one can tell who did right and who didn’t, if the window, with respect to incomings and outgoings determine fortunes in the new season, maybe not so new anymore, then there are no new lessons… maybe not.
Let’s talk about the French league, shall we?
PSG turned down a massive €200m bid from Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe, knowing the Frenchman is in his final year at the club on contracts, thereby risking losing him for free next season, you must ask: who is bankrolling the Qataris?
Did they by any means think Mbappe will renew in the course of the season?
Did they get any intel that made them refuse the offer?
Were they trying to prove a point to Real Madrid and Florentino Perez that they can’t be bullied?
Or are they sending signals that they function above national budgets?
PSG is the new Galacticos, and what does that mean for the French league 1?
Mauricio Pochetino will be in dreamland for the calibre of players at his disposition, you won’t find a better window for PSG than the just concluded one;
Who would have thought Lionel Messi would ever leave Barcelona, let alone for free after some political power play between the Catalan club and La Liga forced things against the Argentine.
He had to move to PSG, and then there’s Sergio Ramos who was in an almost similar situation at Real Madrid.
Achraf Hakimi moved for a sizable fee but Gini Wijnaldum and Gigi Donnarumma joined for free as well and if not for a late move by Real Madrid for Eduardo Camavinga, he’d have been plying his trade at the capital as well.
It’s just four games in so far and PSG already gathered maximum points, some weren’t particularly pretty and they had to scrap it at the end in one of the games but the signs are there that the title is decided even before the league gets past the first international break.
Defending champions Lille have started on a false note and there might not be anything special from them this term, from losing their manager to losing some key figures in their squad.
They will struggle to impress this term and when continental competition starts, their fall will be like that of a pack of cards.
Lyon and Monaco have fallen off as well, early days but how do they compete with a team like PSG?
Lyon lost Memphis Depay and they suddenly forgot how to score, both clubs have just four and five points respectively from a pool of possible 12, can they make up grounds on PSG?
The new boys really can’t compete, Clermont Foot have an average of 2 points per game, awesome start but for how long can they protect the unbeaten run?
Olympic Marseille are the other team with potential, but with the number of hotheads in their team, can you bank on them?
What can stop PSG?
You look at the amount of quality in their squad and you wonder if Mauricio Pochetino is the man to take them forward, big names alone don’t win games.
But you can be sure that teams will go up against them with respect, domestically there’s no stopping a front three of Neymar, Messi and Mbappe.
On the continental front, it is what it is, PSG must land the UEFA Champions League trophy, no excuse will be tenable for them to fail.
And don’t forget the owners are not afraid of ringing changes if they don’t see any signs of positivity.
It’s also important to ask, can the manager contain the amount of ego in the squad?
Tactically can you expect the best from the Argentine manager?
All these would be down to
him to answer on the pitch, when quality is no longer the problem, man-management
will rise, will Pochetino rise to the occasion?
To be continued…
