This season, PSG traditionally leads the French championship, but unlike previous seasons, there is no clear dominance, because second-placed Marseille is only five points behind. Due to stupid mistakes and collapses, PSG is forced to light up in the second half so as not to lose the status of hegemony in their country. And sometimes it is detrimental. What happened?
VICTORY OVER MONTPELIER AT TOO HIGH A COST
On February 1, PSG came to visit Montpellier from line 14, which in the previous five games against the Parisians offered no resistance, losing all games with a total score of 3:18. Pundits predicted another defeat, but something went wrong.
Christophe Galtier’s team still won with a score of 3:1, but it is important at what price the three points were achieved. The authors of the goals were Lionel Messi, Fabián Ruiz and Warren Zaire-Emery, 16 years old (!). Where is Cillian Mbappe? He, unlike the injured Neymar, intervened in the game and entered the field from the first minutes, but it would be better if he did not.
Mbappé had the worst game of the season, and perhaps even of his entire career. So I have prepared a brief chronology of Mbappé’s match against Montpellier.
Minute 8: Mbappé approaches the point to execute the penalty won by a teammate, but shoots at Benjamin Lecomte, who deflects the shot. However, Killian has a chance to make amends when the referee notes an error by the goalkeeper who took an illegal step forward before the Frenchman struck.
Minute 10: Killian shoots into the opposite corner, Lecomte guesses again and sends the ball to the post, but the ball bounces back into the field for Mbappé, who alone and without interference hits an empty goal… but misses and shoots! high!
Minute 16: Mbappé receives a blow to the legs, but gets up and continues the match.
21st minute: Killian still doesn’t feel ready to continue the game, and Galtier instantly takes the PSG leader off the field.
Complete collapse for Killian. Also, striker Folarin Balogan could bring additional pain to Mbappé, who overtook the PSG striker in the Ligue 1 goalscoring table, scoring a hat-trick in a side game. And this despite the fact that the Englishman plays in the 11th team in the league.
In addition to Mbappé, Sergio Ramos was also injured, who was also substituted in the first half. A victory too expensive for the leader of French football.
WHAT WITH MBAPPE? HOW WILL IT AFFECT PSG?
The PSG press service has not yet published the results of Mbappe’s examination, but one thing is clear: even a microtrauma from a Frenchman can ruin the entire season of the Parisians, and this is due to the Champions League, whose playoffs they will start. on February 14 with a home game against Bayern.
PSG already have Presnel Kimpembe, Nordi Mukiele and Neymar in hospital, and if they are joined by Sergio Ramos and Killian Mbappé, then their chances of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals will drop considerably. The composition of the Parisian team is rich and luxurious, but this only applies when all the stars are healthy, because even in the match against Montpellier, 80% of the bench consisted of young people who were barely (and some were not) 18 years old. . , and it is clear that they will not be enough to pass over the German car in the Champions League.
