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Paris Saint-Germain have won the last five Ligue1 titles in the last six years signalling their domination in France. But their quest for Europe's ultimate glory still seems tough to reach. Over the years, they have strengthened their squad, changed managers and invested huge amounts of money but they were left disappointed in the UEFA Champions League every time.
Currently, they sit third on arguably the 'group of death' in the Champions League this season. They were held by Napoli in an entertaining 2-2 draw and any more lapses will send them to the Europa league.
Both Napoli and Liverpool are ahead and better suited to qualify into the Champions League knockouts. However, PSG going into the last 16 stage is not completely impossible at this moment.
It was not a convincing performance from PSG despite Angel Di Maria's late equalizer. They are a dominant force in French Football but UEFA Champions League is still an obstacle for the Ligue 1 giants.
Let us evaluate three vital reasons due to which PSG have failed so far in their quest for European domination.
#3. Mentality
Despite having one of the best squads in Europe, PSG are still looking to increase their dominance. But their repeated failures in the Champions League only suggests why the European competition needs different mettle altogether.
The UEFA Champions League is played out between 32 of the best clubs in Europe. There are four knockout rounds after the group stages and there is no place for error. Good teams like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have managed to show great consistency over the years in the Champions League due to their resilient mentality.
Real Madrid won the Champions League last season and 4th time in five years despite performing extremely poorly in the Spanish League in two of these seasons. They had leaders who stepped up at the right moment and proved themselves in the crunch times.
Although filled with extraordinary talents, PSG are yet to show the type of mentality winners need. They were often bogged down in tough moments. Instead of raising the bar, they let their heads fall, which is why teams got the better of them in recent years. If they want to succeed, they must keep their head up even when they are the second best team on the pitch.
#2. Experienced yet inefficient defence
"Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles", was one of the most famous quotes of Sir Alex Ferguson. Yes, he was talking about the Premier League but not conceding goals help a lot in securing domination in the UEFA Champions League as well.
And believe it or not, this is one of the reasons for Paris Saint- Germain's frequent lapses over the years in Europe. Despite strengthening their midfield and attack over the years with some extraordinary players like Neymar, Mbappe and Rabiot, they were reluctant to spend on their defence.
Their defence has the necessary mix of experienced players and young blood but it is still not up to the mark due to their inefficiency at execution. Especially against the big teams, PSG managed to concede goals and more so, in the knockout stages.
The appointment of Thomas Tuchel does not help their case as he has a tendency of playing a high defensive line and leaking goals in the process since his Borussia Dortmund days.
Call it a problem of nerves, lack of confidence or just poor defending, they have let 3 goals in against Liverpool and 2 against Napoli. PSG scored 2 goals both in these matches but those goals were not enough to win any of the matches for them.
#1. Lack of link up in the attacking line
Paris Saint- Germain attracted a lot of interest since they started acquiring a plethora of talents in their team. Their front line is still one of the deadliest trios in Europe comprising of Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani. But the link up between them is still questionable which makes them vulnerable at Europe's biggest stage.
PSG have averaged more than three goals a game in the Ligue 1 but their team is yet to click. There were reports of discontentment in their dressing room between Neymar and Cavani after a row took place during a penalty last season.
According to French outlet, L'Equipe, the passing stats show Cavani is often ignored by both Mbappe and Neymar when they are striding forward. Data suggests that Cavani is found only 0.5% of the time from Neymar's pass and 5% from Mbappe's pass whereas both Neymar and Mbappe share 25% passes between them.
Another predominant reason is the lack of an experienced playmaker in their ranks. Although the likes of Neymar and Rabiot often create chances, there were numerous times when PSG players released the ball late and gave up possession. There was little surprise when Napoli seemed to be more in sync despite having fewer talents.
It's clear that Cavani is the scapegoat in Tuchel's PSG despite being the team's main centre-forward. Both Thomas Tuchel and the Paris St. Germain players must act quickly to resolve this issue if they want to stamp their greatness at Europe's grandest stage.
