PSG - Serial Underachievers in Europe?

PSG had the Ligue 1 title all sewn up before they even took on Manchester City in the Champions League Quarter Final with a record margin. Currently sitting 30 points clear of Olympique Lyon in 2nd place, the side from the province of Rhone-Alpes are closer to the relegation zone than they are to the league leaders, a testament to the monopoly the Parisians have over the league. Despite all this domestic success, they are still perennial underachievers on the European stage.

Since their domestic success started in 2012-2013 with their first league title in 19 years, it is safe to say that PSG have been labelled as the 'nearly-men.' They have all the right tools, but just can't utilise them on the big stage. For the fourth time in a row, they have failed to progress pass the Quarter Final stage. How can side with world-class players such as Angel di Maria, Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti and the notorious Zlatan Ibrahimovic constantly fail?

Admittedly last year, they faced Barcelona in the quarter final stage, a team that were right on the top of their game and eventual treble winners. They were beaten by a much more cohesive and well drilled side 5-1 on aggregate with the damage being done with a 3-1 loss in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. 

Yet just this year, they had a great chance of defeating Manchester City and progressing to their first semi final in this short spell. Despite the deciding goal from Kevin de Bruyne being a cracker, PSG coughed up too many chances in the away leg including an unconverted penalty opportunity caused by a stray pass from Serge Aurier. Equally, an error was capitalised on by Fernandinho in the opening leg, who threaded a ball through to de Bruyne and the Belgian opened the scoring in the tie. The second goal could also have been prevented but it levelled up the first leg and gave Manchester City two away goals.

In Marco Verratti they possess one of the world's brightest midfield prospect. Only aged 23, he has already made 105 league appearances as well as a further 29 in Europe. Even as one of the younger players in the French champion's side, so much of the play goes through him. Not only is he a quality passer of the ball that has been compared to the great Andrea Pirlo, but he also as a decent defensive side to his game, averaging 2 defensive actions per game this season. It will be interesting to see in the near future if more failings in the Champions League whether Verratti will jump ship to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Player performance wise, Angel di Maria has recaptured the form he displayed while at Real Madrid, while Ibrahimovic, at the tender age of 34 is still banging in goals for fun, 34 in the league this season. Edinson Cavani is an able strike partner for the Swede contributing 28 goals and 4 assists to the cause. It has however been rumoured in the past that the pair do not get on. Just last season, both were pictured becoming increasingly frustrated with each other, reaching the point where Ibrahimovic refused to pass the Uruguayan the ball on a simple two-on-one with the keeper and instead squandered the chance. It has been argued that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is holding the side back and this reasoning sounds very plausible

Too little domestic competition?
Everyone quickly jump to suggest that the lack of competition in the league will play a factor with the performances in Europe and I totally agree. It is human nature for players to ease of the gas when they are 3 or 4 goals up. In four of the last six league games this season, PSG have scored four goals. Against the bottom side, Troyes, they netted 9 times. scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes. It's not surprising that if a side continually relaxes after 60-70 minutes, then it will become a vicious circle where they will struggle to concentrate mentally for the full match.

Poor manager?
There has been speculation of a change at the helm with the recent Champions League exit. Laurent Blanc has not had the toughest of jobs with PSG, particularly with having a budget bigger than any of the Ligue 1 competition. However, dealing with the amount of egos that he has to, he has to be credited. Blanc has been rumoured with the Manchester United job, however Jose Mourinho appears to be the most likely recipient if Louis Van Gaal does decide to retire. He has played the same tactic in Europe where they have been less effective. The 4-3-3 with either Ibrahimovic or Cavani up top and Angel di Maria on the flank, has been useful in the group stages, but they need to play a bit more conservative against the sides with more quality. It is likely that they wouldn't have the most possession so it would be more sensible to sacrifice an attacker to put another in midfield.

Are they likely to win the competition in the next 3 seasons?
I think they will eventually break their duck of not being able to qualify for the semi finals of the Champions League in the near future. Generally over the last years they have been unlucky with the groups that they have been placed in - Real Madrid in this year's group and Barcelona last year. As well as this they generally have been unlucky in the knock out rounds, receiving Manchester City in the quarter finals this season when they could have got Benfica or Wolfsburg. If PSG build up some momentum with good results in the group stage, coupled with fortunate draws in the next two rounds, it is very possible that they would have the confidence to defeat the big sides when the competition gets serious. I do believe with the quality of the players in the side, PSG will be crowned European Champions in the not too distant future.

Having been given the vote of confidence by the board this season, Laurent Blanc will remain in charge of PSG for the summer at the bare minimum. However the pressure must be building as they look to break their streak of bad fortune and enter into Europe's elite. 

Champions League Semi Final Predictions

It was a rather pleasing three out of four correct results for the Champions League Quarter Finals, with only the Atletico v Barcelona tie letting me down. The competition has been whittled down to just 4 teams, with just another three matches remaining until they get their hands on that illustrious European title.

Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich

I would fancy Atletico Madrid if they had the away match first, particularly as how it worked so effectively against Barcelona. Pep Guardiola is in the hunt for his first European title in his last year with this Bayern side, and he will undoubtedly make this the priority. Bayern play an efficient style of play similar to Barcelona and can be lethal on the break. Robert Lewandowski has been in red hot form this year and he will need to rely on all of his goal scoring instinct if he is to penetrate a very strong defence.

Looking at Atletico Madrid, they delivered a masterclass in how to counter attack against Barcelona something which Bayern will need to be very aware of. Antoine Griezmann is lethal along with Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco. Captain, Diego Godin will undoubtedly make his presence felt, while Fernando Torres is beginning to recapture is form. A very interesting battle that could tilt the game is the one in the midfield between Koke and Gabi of Atleti and Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso of Bayern. If Bayern win or achieve a score draw in the first match, I would expect them to go through, particularly as Atleti would be chasing the game away from home.

With Barcelona having lost the last three league games until the 8-0 demolition of former Champions League semi finalists Deportivo, it threw the race for the division title wide open with Atleti sitting level on points with the Catalan giants. In the league, Atleti have conceded the least amount of goals (16) with Barcelona their closest competitors 13 adrift. Bayern have a comfortable 7-point buffer on Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Like their opponents, they have conceded the least amount of goals in the league (14), but are also joint top scorers with 72. With Barcelona out, many will tip Bayern Munich as favourites to lift the trophy.

Manchester City v Real Madrid

Manchester City become the first English side since Chelsea in the 2013/2014 campaign. Undoubtedly they will be underdogs, particularly with their unpredictable league campaign of late. Vincent Kompany will play a big part, whether or not he is on the pitch as he has drastically improved City when fit. With Manuel Pellegrini being replaced by Pep Guardiola in the summer, the Chilean will want to go out with a bang, having already secured the Capital One Cup title in March. Like the other semi final, if City had the away match first I would fancy them as I don't see them keeping a clean sheet away from home. Kevin De Bruyne was an excellent purchase by Pellegrini and has been one of the stand out performers contributing 15 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for City this season.

On their day, Madrid will rip any team to shreds and are very dangerous on the counter attack. Cristiano Ronaldo has notched up 47 goals in just 44 games this season as well as assisting 15 times and just another 3 goals will mean that he has scored 50 goals in a season for the 6th year in a row. It's one thing about planning to stop him but actually doing it is a completely different thing. Gael Clichy will certainly have his hands full. Toni Kroos is an expert at controlling the game from midfield and it will be interesting to see if they can dominate possession against a useful City midfield. Like David Silva, James Rodriguez and Isco Alarcon tend to roam about making it very difficult for the opposition to mark. City have their work cut out to prevent this potent attack from firing Madrid to the final. 

Manchester City's league season is virtually over with the side sitting in fourth and just looking to consolidate Champions League football for next year. Fifth place Manchester United are snapping at their heels and just sit two points behind. This poor position most likely played a part in the downfall of Manuel Pellegrini, but he would be able to salvage a bit of pride with a trip to Milan on the 28th May. As for Madrid, what was looking like a disappointing season has all of a sudden sparked into life. They looked down and out of their domestic league, 12 points behind their Catalan rivals, however the 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp seemed to be the catalyst and 4 matches later, find themselves just one point behind the holders.

We have two ties that are quite close to call, even though it would be easy to pick out the favourites. I do think that Real Madrid will be able overcome Manchester City, helped by the second leg in the Santiago Bernabeu in front of their own fans. Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich is one that could go anyway. Atletico will take confidence that the Bavarians play a similar style of football to Barcelona, but at the same time it will still be very difficult. If Atletico can keep a clean sheet at home then I do think they will win, however Bayern remain my favourites to progress.

There is no 'Right Way' to play Football

Despite being the pre-tournament favourites to be the first side to retain the Champions League, the attacking threat of Messi, Suarez and Neymar was nullified and two Antoine Griezmann goals were enough to send Atlético Madrid through. The main talking points about the match were undoubtedly the two hand ball incidents involving Andrés Iniesta and Gabi, which referee Nicola Rizzoli adjudged the latter to have been outside the box.

The 'proper way' to play football was a phrase coined around the time when Chelsea won the Champions League, by keeping a very rigid, defensive shape and hitting teams on the counter attack. Like Jose Mourinho and Roberto di Matteo who masterminded the victory, Atlético  play to their strengths and under the stewardship of Diego Simeone, they have done that brilliantly. Los Colchoneros don't play attractive football and haven't done since the Argentine took over, but what they do display is a great team work ethic and a siege mentality against sides that are perceived as superior in quality that is so refreshing to see. I love watching Simeone on the side lines as he displays the same passion as just an ordinary supporter on the touchline, he knows what that club is about.

Simeone had not defeated Barcelona in seven attempts since their victory last night, yet it is not surprising that he has masterminded an upset on the biggest of stages. Upon the final whistle, I noted, as did the pundits on BT Sport, that he marched straight down the tunnel, not partaking in any of the celebrations that the players were having with the Vicente Calderón faithful. He knows the hard work is only beginning if we wants to instill himself in Atléti history by going one step further than in 2013.

Antoine Griezmann got both of the goals last night, and with the recent news emerging that France will not be considering Karim Benzema for the Euros squad, there is a big chance that the former Real Sociedad winger could be finding himself leading the line. The first goal that 25 year old scored last night came out after a great run into the box matched by a cross with pin-point precision from Saul and was glanced into the back of the net, leaving Marc-Andre Ter Stegen no chance in nets. Barcelona were given a warning earlier in the game with Griezmann, remaining unmarked, heading a tame effort into the the safe clutches of Ter Stegen.

The second goal arrived courtesy of an Andrés Iniesta hand ball. Apart from the moment of shock with Iniesta committing a cynical and professional foul I thought Rizzoli should have brandished a red card to the Barcelona captain. The argument was made that Mascherano was able to get back on the line, therefore not making it a goal scoring chance, however I doubt that the Argentine would have been able to prevent a shot if Iniesta had missed the ball and Griezmann got a clear, first time shot off. Up steps the Basque player with a nervous look on his baby face to strike past the German keeper. It was a nervous penalty with Ter Stegen getting a paw to the ball, and some claiming that the keeper should have done better.

Atlético Madrid would run through brick walls for each other as well as their manager. This was evidenced once the second goal went in when the home side played very conservatively not giving Barcelona a sniff. Simeone was at his raving best with arms flailing everywhere in an attempt to gee-up the crowd to roar their heroes home. Godin followed suit, and led from the front with terrific defending as well as the odd cynical moment where he tried to wind his opponents up. The one moment that typified this side for me was when the captain made a surging run forward with the ball, only to lose out to Sergi Roberto and haul him to the ground to stop Barcelona from building an attack. Cynical yes, but it was effective as it allowed Atléti to regain their shape.

Simeone and his Atlético side have proved once again that there is no right way to play football like they did in the quarter final stage of 2013. No team will take this side lightly and they will fancy themselves against any of the other teams in this tournament.

Race for the BPL Title

With just 6 games left of the 2015-16 Premier League season, Leicester sit top of the table with a 7 point advantage over nearest rivals Tottenham. Just four more wins from their last games secures Premier League glory in what has been an astonishing team performance galvanised by the managerial expertise of Claudio Ranieri at the helm. Where does this leave the 'top four regulars'?

After a horrific start to the season, Roman Abramovich quickly waved the axe at Jose Mourinho to be replaced by Guus Hiddink. Since then Chelsea have rose up the league table and are now hunting for a spot in Europe. Despite the supporters not wanting to admit it, neither Manchester United and Liverpool are ready for a title charge and contain too much 'dead weight', evidenced further by either side not being able to topple Leicester and Spurs. The other side of Manchester have faltered too much and Pellegrini has rightfully paid the price by not getting his contract renewed at the end of the year. Admittedly, injuries have not helped, but with the quality in depth in the City set up, they really should be blowing the rest of the competition away.

That just leaves Arsenal. Currently sitting in 3rd place, a point off their North London rivals, this was Arsenal's year, to borrow the phrase, and yet again they have blown it. Arsene Wenger will be held to account even more than in previous years, where they had the ever-young excuse of 'we can't compete against Chelsea/United/City (delete as appropriate) who spend all around them.' At 8 points adrift, I don't see Arsenal catching Leicester particularly with tricky away matches to West Ham and Manchester City. Admittedly, it the rest of their fixtures are against considerably weaker opposition, most of which are currently battling relegation. Dropped points at the weekend will make it very difficult to catch up and even if they throw together a run of form, it could be a case of too little, too late for the Gunners.

Leicester City have been a breath of fresh air for the Premier League this season and have quickly endeared themselves into the hearts of everyone. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have ripped defences to shreds and are rightly at the top of the pile and much of this can be attributed to the managerial expertise of Claudio Ranieri, who possibly would not have been at the club had his Greece side not succumbed to back to back defeats to Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Nobody could have predicted the mesmeric rise of Leicester City and I can even be quoted as to say that they will finish outside the top 6! A win at the Stadium of Light on Sunday secures the side Champions League football next season, and nice amount of money for the owners to hopefully put back into the club.

The real challenges start when the league concludes for the East Midlands club. Regardless whether they win the title or not, they will come under pressure to sell their key men such as Kasper Schmeichel, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante among others. Ideally, I'm sure they would want to keep hold of most of their side and improve it with additions from the transfer window, but I don't think they would pass up on the opportunity to charge one of their rivals a fortune. After all, they got most of their players for pennies compared to the rumoured values of them currently. From a business aspect, it will be a win win situation.

On any other season, Spurs would be the side that everyone wants to win but they have been pipped to the post by Leicester. Spurs are beginning to reap the rewards of the signings that were acquired with the money gained from the sale of Gareth Bale. Nacer Chadli and Christian Erikson in particular have often gone under the radar in terms of performances. Erik Lamela blows hot and cold but on his day can be scintillating. It is often a frustration of mine that he cannot be more consistent and injury free as he has the talent to beat any defender on his day. Toby Alderweireld has been a revelation at the back having been bought from Atletico Madrid in the summer. Sent on loan to Southampton last year, the Belgian was constantly at the heart of the Saints' early run of form and has picked up from where he has left off.

Undoubtedly however, all the plaudits have been going the way of Dele Alli. The teenager was signed by Pochettino in February 2015 for an initial fee of £5m. Hindsight may be a wonderful thing but there will be many other sides kicking themselves at not purchasing the player. He announced himself to the stage with his first goal in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City, as well as scoring memorable goals against Crystal Palace as well as cracking strike in an international friendly against France. Like Leicester, Spurs have unearthed a lower league gem and one that has rose to be touted as one of the best English prospects. He will also be exciting to watch for English fans in the white jersey when playing at the European Championships this summer.

How will Spurs and Leicester fair in the transfer market and in the Champions League next season?

The club owners will be licking their lips at the prospect of Champions League football. From a financial point of view, they will receive €12m for competing in the group stage of the Champions League while also bagging a healthy €1.5m for each win and €500k for each draw.  On top of this, they have the added market pull of offering Champions League football. The money must be spent wisely, or else they will just descend back into mid-table mediocrity, particularly as the other teams around them will spend big. According to http://www.totalsportek.com/, the champions will collect just under £78.8m while the runners up will receive £77.6m and this is excluding television money. The managerial nous of Ranieri and Pochettino will be seriously tested as they aim to replicate what they have achieved this year.

The season is reaching an exciting climate and it is looking likely that we will have a new name on the Premier League trophy and I certainly look forward to see how the current top 2 sides approach the coming transfer market.