Paris Saint-Germain’s season was a major disappointment as they missed out on all the major trophies they wanted, finishing as Ligue 1 runners up and being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League as they were well beaten by Manchester City.
The campaign was complicated by a poor start to the season, which saw them hampered by a combination of injuries, a Covid outbreak and fatigue following their run to the Champions League final in August. Although they were granted a one-week reprieve by the league, they lost early fixtures against Lens and Marseille 1-0, then struggled past Metz.
Furthermore, they were not assured of their place in the Champions League knockout stages until matchday six, which meant that they were forced to give everything on a match-by-match basis, which strained a squad that was already tired. Even key players like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were not necessarily themselves, and in the case of the Brazilian, he would struggle for game time throughout the season.
Mbappe was the man who carried the squad, reaching the 40-goal barrier in all competitions over the course of the season for the first time in his career. While Moise Kean contributed more than expected, all of the other forward players were less effective.
This was also the case in midfield, where key man Marco Verratti never really got going and Idrissa Gueye played in fits and starts, forcing regular changes and a lack of settled partnerships.
In defence, Marquinhos was the star man but in the full-back areas PSG toiled as Juan Bernat missed the whole season and there was no obvious quality in these sectors.
Ultimately the change in management in December, which saw Thomas Tuchel depart and Mauricio Pochettino arrive, did not yield the desired results. Pochettino will need the summer to drill his side in the style he wants them to play, but he needs support from sporting director Leonardo, who was the catalyst in Tuchel departing.
This is a big summer coming up for PSG, as they seek to tie down Mbappe’s long-term future. The success or failure in that venture will have a big impact going ahead.
