Paris Saint-Germain are the Kings of France once again as they reclaimed the Ligue 1 title with four games to spare after their 1-1 draw with Lens.
The Parisians have now moved into a tie with Saint-Etienne for the most French titles in the professional era with 10, eight of which have come in the last nine years.
The Ligue 1 2022 odds always had PSG as heavy favourites to return to the top of French football, especially after their remarkable summer transfer window where they landed such stars as Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and of course, the great Lionel Messi, to join forces with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, et al.
But while they dominated the league once again – they lead second-placed Marseille by 16 points – this latest title still feels a tad disappointing as coach Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t quite get the very best out of this star-studded side.
Read on below for SBOTOP’s breakdown of PSG’s title-winning campaign that, while dominant, still had its share of drama and disappointment.
Kylian Mbappe simply magnifique
Without a doubt, Kylian Mbappe is the main reason PSG are champions once again. The 23-year-old has had a truly outstanding campaign; he currently has 22 goals and 14 assists, which are both the most in the league, with four more games to go.
Despite all the incredible star power in the PSG squad, especially up front with Lionel Messi and Neymar, the Parisians still had to rely much too often on Mbappe’s brilliance to carry them to victory. Luckily, he has been up to the task and has been right up there with fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema among the best players in Europe this season.
There has been rampant speculation that Mbappe might very well join Benzema at Real Madrid in the summer, but the latest Ligue 1 2022 updates suggest that Mbappe could still stay in Paris, which would be big if true.
Given how incredibly he has played this season, it’s clear that PSG need to keep hold of Mbappe in order to continue competing with Europe’s elite.
Lionel Messi finally looking mortal
In a summer full of shocking transfers, Lionel Messi’s move from Barcelona to PSG was by far the biggest of them all. After dominating Spain for over a decade, the Argentine superstar looked set to conquer not only France, but all of Europe once again as he joined forces with Mbappe and Neymar in Paris.
However, Messi’s move to PSG has not worked out entirely as planned. He has hardly set Ligue 1 alight with just 4 goals, his lowest total since his second season at Barcelona. Although, he has 13 assists, which is second only to Mbappe. In contrast, he scored 5 goals in just 7 Champions League games, which perhaps showed just what Messi’s main priority was.
But even then, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner was completely overshadowed by Mbappe in their round of 16 tie with Real Madrid as he missed a crucial penalty and simply failed to influence the game like he once did.
At age 34, Messi is finally showing he is indeed just a mere mortal and not the all-conquering force of nature that PSG were hoping for when they brought him over to France.
PSG’s other summer deals disappoint
To be fair to Messi, though, many of PSG’s other high-profile summer moves did not work out too well, either. Midfielder Gini Wijnaldum looked like a complete shell of himself, justifying Liverpool’s decision to let him go on a free. Similarly, Real Madrid’s decision to allow legendary defender Sergio Ramos to leave also looked like the right one as the 36-year-old had an injury-hit season in Paris.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma did not show the form that saw him help Italy to the Euro 2020 title as he struggled while rotating with Keylor Navas for the starting spot all season long.
Aside from Achraf Hakimi, who didn’t exactly light up Ligue 1 either, PSG’s vaunted signings from what some had hailed as the ‘greatest transfer window ever’ did surprisingly little to help the team reclaim their title.
Pochettino could still be sent packing
While he was not responsible for those transfers, much of the blame has inevitably fallen on the manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine had arguably one of the most enviable jobs in all of Europe having to manage a squad with so much star power. But the job has been anything but easy, with Poch failing to get his PSG side playing high-calibre football on a consistent basis.
Building a cohesive system with a front three that does not have much interest in defending is not as simple as some people think. Regardless, the responsibility still falls on Poch. PSG fans have made their feelings clear about Poch as they booed their manager even as they clinched the title.
So despite Poch winning his first league title of his career, PSG’s overall underwhelming play coupled with failure in the Champions League could mean that he still gets sacked in the near future. Such is life in Paris, where league success is not nearly enough to save your job.
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