With Thomas Tuchel, the next trainer on the major Paris Saint-Germain project has now failed.
Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, Tuchel – an Italian, a French, a Spaniard and a German, none of them have been able to give the PSG investors from Qatar what they desire most in the past eight years: the handle pot.
For a short time last August it looked like Tuchel could finally crown the long-term project with great success. At the final tournament of the Champions League, the German coach made it into the final with PSG, but FC Bayern was too strong. Nevertheless, last season was the most successful in the history of the club from the French capital.
Four months later, Tuchel has no chance of trying again. Mauricio Pochettino will probably take his place in order to finally complete the major project.
But the Argentines can expect some major construction sites. And these endanger the project more than ever – PSG is at a crossroads.
Construction site coach position
The most obvious construction site in Paris is the coaching position – so possibly Pochettino himself. Four top coaches have now failed due to the PSG construct. The team has long earned the reputation of being untrainable.
In the recent past, this has always had to do with the superstars who were put by the coaches for success. At the moment it’s mainly Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Tuchel seemed to have a good relationship with both of them – but ultimately it was not enough for the big hit.
Critics repeatedly accused Tuchel that the game was too tailored to the superstars. If Neymar and / or Mbappé were injured – or they weren’t playing well – then a plan B was often undetectable. That should also have been one of the reasons why the superstars no longer fully trusted their trainer themselves.
But can this change under Pochettino?
The Argentine used to play at PSG himself and last coached Tottenham Hotspur for five years (until 2019). The 48-year-old has made a big name for himself in the football world at Spurs.
With his players – which included stars like Harry Kane – he had a good relationship. Problems at the interpersonal level at least did not make their way into the public eye. Pochettino should be experienced enough to build a team around the superstars. But first he has to prove whether he can create a plan B – and whether he can do it better than Tuchel, Emery, Blanc and Ancelotti.
Construction site superstars
Probably the biggest construction site is Neymar and Mbappé. The explosive thing about it: The contracts of both superstars expire in summer 2022. The working papers must definitely be extended by next summer – otherwise there is even a risk of one of the two, or even both, stars leaving.
Without the Brazilian and the French, the goal of winning the Champions League can hardly be achieved.
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If Pochettino doesn’t strike at PSG and doesn’t quickly make the team a serious favorite on the handlebar pot, then Mbappé in particular should think carefully about what will keep him in his hometown.
Real Madrid have already signaled more than once that the 22-year-old is at the top of the royal wish list. And the offensive star himself is an avowed fan of the Galactic and could become the face of the next generation in Madrid.
It is almost impossible that Mbappé will spend his entire career at PSG. The Frenchman would certainly like to say goodbye with a triumph in the Champions League, if he sees this goal a long way off, but then he could move to the Spanish capital next summer. Real obviously wants to get serious after this season.
And Neymar? The 28-year-old does not enjoy such a high status in the market as Mbappé – but FC Barcelona in particular would like to strike. The problem recently was the high costs associated with transferring the Brazilian. But as the end of the contract approached, these would also decrease. Neymar’s whereabouts over the summer of 2021 are therefore anything but certain.
What about messi?
A strong indication of Neymar’s whereabouts would undoubtedly be a transfer coup by Lionel Messi. The two superstars are close friends and have often made it clear that they absolutely want to play together again – as they did at Barca.
Messi could make a free transfer next summer, but signing the highest paid footballer in the world would not be cheap. Therefore, the question arises whether a battle for Messi is a good idea at all.
After all, the Argentine is now 33 years old and it currently seems that he may be above his zenith. Compatriot Pochettino would still love to have Messi on his team – and this desire is likely to be mutual. Messi is said to have made strong for Pochettino as a coach at Barca, without success at the time.
To the transfer ticker
PSG’s chances of actually welcoming Messi to the Eiffel Tower are unlikely to have been so good. It is an open secret that this is a big dream for PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his Qatari partners.
The large-scale PSG project is subject to many dangers
Even if a spectacular Messi signing is realized, it is questionable whether the major PSG project will actually be successful in the near future.
In purely sporting terms, Messi is currently no longer the best footballer in the world and there is no guarantee that he is the necessary piece of the puzzle to bring the pot pot to Paris.
The biggest problem, however, is that the club will be subject to many uncertainties and dangers over the next few months.
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If Mbappé decides to switch soon, the entire project will be thrown overboard. If Pochettino doesn’t really get by at PSG – like most of his predecessors – then sustained sporting success is also unlikely.
Even if Neymar wants to leave Paris, everything is on the brink. The next few months will be decisive. The major Paris Saint-Germain project is at a crossroads.
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