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PSG only have the Ligue 1 trophy to fight for this season after getting eliminated in the UEFA Champions League this week. They bowed out 3-2 on aggregate against Real Madrid after a 3-1 loss in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Parisians are currently top of the league after 27 games, leading Nice by 13 points.
Meanwhile, former Parisians player Jerome Rothen has criticised Lionel Messi for his performance against Real Madrid in midweek. Elsewhere, Paul Pogba has been tipped to join the Parisians this summer.
On that note, here’s a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on 11th March 2022:
Lionel Messi criticised for performance against Real Madrid
French football pundit Jerome Rothen has slammed Lionel Messi for his performance against Real Madrid in midweek. The Argentinean returned to Spain for the first time with PSG for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie in midweek.
The Parisians had a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, which they doubled early on at the Bernabeu, thanks to Kylian Mbappe. However, with less than half an hour to go, the Parisians imploded spectacularly, conceding thrice in 17 minutes to bow out of the competition on a whimper.
Messi was expected to shine on his return to the Bernabeu, where he has enjoyed many successful nights with Barcelona. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old failed to impress. The Ligue 1 giants took an early lead, but were undone by a blistering second-half hattrick from Karim Benzema.
Messi remained a mere spectator as his misfortunes in the Champions League continued. Speaking on Rothen s’enflamme, Rothen tore into the Argentinean for consistently underperforming with the French giants.
“I’m ashamed to talk about Messi like that, but it’s the reality! Yesterday he walked on the pitch. He made efforts from 10 meters! Modric put it (him) in his pocket!” said Rothen.
He continued:
“The other – it annoys me so much to mention his name – he lost all his balls! Since he’s been there, it’s been a mess! He has played less than 50% of PSG matches, and when he’s here, we’re going to find excuses for him by saying that he was coming back from an injury? No, there’s no time; it was last night that you had to be there."
Messi has scored just seven times in 25 games, with five of his strikes coming in seven outings in the Champions League. However, he failed to score in both legs against Real Madrid. The Argentinian notably missed a penalty in the first leg at the Parc des Princes three weeks ago and was largely anonymous at the Bernabeu.
Paul Pogba tipped to join PSG
Paul Pogba has been tipped to join PSG this summer by Claudio Marchisio. The Frenchman is in the final few months of his current contract with Manchester United and is expected to leave this summer. The Parisians are among the clubs interested in him.
Speaking to beIN Sports, Marchisio said that Pogba would be happy to join the Ligue 1 giants. However, the Italian also revealed that he wants the 28-year-old back at Juventus.
“I often talk about it with Paul. I said it in another interview; his return to England was not wise for his progress. He went from the English league with specific characteristics to Italy to Juventus, where he had a different progression. Unfortunately, I don’t think his comeback was positive for him, even though he had some important Europa League wins with Manchester, world champions with France,” said Marchisio.
The former player continued:
“I think he and his family would be very happy if he joined PSG. Coming home to a big club, trying to win the Champions League like Juventus did. But me, on the other hand, I would be very happy to see him again in Turin because he left very good memories."
Pogba’s near six-year stint at Old Trafford has been a mixed bag of sorts. In over 200 appearances across competitions, he has bagged 39 goals and 51 assists. That includes one goal and ten assists in the Premier League this season.
Kylian Mbappe’s future not affected by Real Madrid defeat
Kylian Mbappe’s future may not be affected by PSG’s loss to Real Madrid, according to PSG Talk via RMC Sport.
The Frenchman is unhappy with his team’s disappointing exit from the Champions League. The defeat, though, might not push him away from the Parc des Princes. Instead, it could accelerate the announcement of his next move.
The Parisians have no other engagements other than Ligue 1 this season, so the 23-year-old could decide to declare his intentions sooner than expected. The French giants are assessing the changes required in the squad in the wake of their exit from the Champions League. However, they are now even more convinced about Mbappe’s importance to their project.
