PSG have a new head coach but the same old Kylian Mbappe problem
Here is a brief summary of the past six months at Paris Saint-Germain.
A record 11th league title, but 10 defeats in 50 games overall. A row between Neymar, Marquinhos and sporting director Luis Campos in the dressing room. A Champions League last-16 exit which exposed their lack of squad depth. A two-week suspension for Lionel Messi after skipping training for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. A protest by ultras outside the club headquarters, then another outside Neymar’s house. An absent Neymar pictured on social media playing poker in Monaco while his team-mates secured the title. A goalkeeper, Sergio Rico, seriously injured (but thankfully now out of ICU) when he was trampled by a horse. Messi missing the Ligue 1 player of the year awards to go to a Coldplay gig in Barcelona. A letter from Kylian Mbappe stating he does not want to trigger a contract extension. A head coach, Christophe Galtier, newly sacked while facing allegations of discrimination at a previous club — which he denies — with a trial looming and a possible three-year prison term if found guilty.
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Welcome to PSG, Luis Enrique.
It is no wonder the back-to-back French champions wish to draw a line under all that has gone before and move into a new era — or a “new cycle” as Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club’s president, described it on Wednesday afternoon.
At times this year, PSG’s sporting project has faded into the background behind an off-field circus, one that is adorned with talent but distracted by drama. Yes, the club have enjoyed success, whether that be their dominance of French football (they have now won more titles than any other French club after their ninth in 11 seasons) or their club rebranding, which has seen PSG rapidly achieve
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