PSG have a long-term plan. Marseille are still stuck in short-termism
Wealth and wits have not always gone hand-in-hand at PSG under QSI’s ownership. Proclaiming their grand ambition of European dominance did little to make it a reality but, as the club transitions out of its galácticos era, there is an overriding feeling that the expensively assembled jigsaw is falling into place. Rivals have a right to be concerned.
The galácticos era felt borne out of desperation – but also naivety – whereas their new approach is based on longevity and the desire to mount a serious and sustained challenge. The club’s recent transfer business – which has significantly changed the age profile of the squad – as well as the appointment of Luis Enrique as manager are testament to that. Unlike his predecessors, Luis Enrique is being supported rather than undermined in his role. He can make what he deems tobe the right decisions for PSG’s future, rather than being coerced into pandering to individual needs.
Luis Enrique’s management of Kylian Mbappé continues to be a fierce topic of conversation in France. “It’s the same music, the same question every single week. It’s so boring. I am the manager. I make the decisions every day, every week. I’ll do the same until my last day in Paris; I always try to find the best solution for the team,” said Luis Enrique on Sunday. He is growing increasingly frustrated with the continuous questioning of his management of the situation. Importantly, though, his decision to limit the Frenchman’s playing time is not meeting internal opposition.
Mbappé, who started as captain for PSG against Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday, was visibly irked when he was subbed off just after the hour mark. It is becoming a trend. Mbappé completed 90 minutes in 17 of the 19 Ligue 1 games he played before he announced he was leaving in February; he has completed just one of his last six. The difference is stark, but Luis Enrique is holding firm. With the Ligue 1 title all but secured and Mbappé’s place in the starting XI in the Champions League not being called into question, it is a logical decision for a club that is planning for the long term.
Kylian Mbappé pulls off the captain’s armband as he leaves the pitch in Marseille. Photograph: Daniel Cole/AP
Marseille, who hosted PSG on Sunday night, should engage in more of their own long-term planning. PSG have dominated Le Classique since the QSI takeover, beating Marseille 24 times and only losing one league match since 2011. Marseille were given a great chance to improve that record on Sunday night when PSG centre-back Lucas Beraldo was controversially sent off in the 40th minute, but second-half goals from Vitinha and summer signing Gonçalo Ramos gave PSG a 2-0 victory that leaves them 12 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
No team in France can compete with PSG financially – according to L’Équipe they employ the top 10 earners in the league – but Marseille, who spent more than €100m in the summer, also have means. They are just misallocated. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the highest earner not at PSG and, even though he has been brilliant for Marseille under Jean-Louis Gasset, he also personifies the problem. Speaking last month, Gasset said of his star striker: “He is the goalscorer, the player of the team. There is one in every team. In every team in the world there is a player that makes the difference. He is the player and you then build the team around him.”
No club the size of Marseille should ever be “building around” a 34-year-old striker, but Gasset is a short-term manager, with short-term objectives and he is more than entitled to find short-term solutions in order to reach those goals. The only problem is that such an outlook in many ways occludes the possibility of sustaining a long-term challenge.
Marseille’s extreme short-termism comes at a time when PSG’s approach has never looked more credible, despite the Mbappé situation. Not only the performance, but the mentality of Luis Enrique’s side to win at the Vélodrome, despite the first-half setback, shows that PSG are finally a team. And they are a young team with potential to improve. The team they fielded against Real Sociedad last month was their youngest in any Champions League match (with an average age of 23 years and 361 days) in their history. It is a team that is being built to last and one that, rid of the egos that dictated the dressing room and the direction of the club, is pulling collectively in the right direction.
Mbappé may be departing, but PSG are already moving on without him. The early signs are overwhelmingly positive and ominous for their competitors at home and abroad.
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Folarin Balogun in Monaco colours. Photograph: AS Monaco
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Folarin Balogun in Ligue 1. After an explosive first season in France with Reims, he made a permanent move to Monaco in the summer. He scored 21 league goals last season but his tally of seven goals this season attest to a difficult adaptation period, marked by a different playing style and new international obligations for the US. However, Balogun came off the bench against Metz on Saturday and scored his first brace for Monaco in a 5-2 hammering. “I expected more from myself and in the next match, I hope to do better,” said Balogun, who is looking to assert himself as the undisputed starter in attack before Wissam Ben Yedder’s expected departure in the summer. His contribution could yet be crucial as Monaco chase as Champions League place.
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It was a case of deja vu for Nice on Sunday as they fell victim to Nantes’ new-manager bounce for the second time this season. Jocelyn Gourvennec led Nantes to victory over Nice in his first game in charge back in December so, when Nantes wielded the axe again during the international break, replacing Gourvennec with Antoine Kombouaré, the writing was on the wall for Nice. The 2-1 defeat means Nice have won just one of their last eight league games. The cracks are beginning to show.
“I don’t understand some attitudes in the team,” said the Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka after the match. “I don’t know if it is collective. I’d say it’s about individuals. Everyone needs to look themselves in the eyes and ask themselves if they are showing desire. Today, for me, some of them showed that they didn’t have that desire,” added Bulka, alluding to unrest in the dressing room. Nice are still fifth in the table, so not all is lost, but they need to reverse the trend if they are to obtain European football next season.
Pos Team P GD Pts
1 PSG 27 41 62
2 Brest 27 17 50
3 Monaco 27 14 49
4 Lille 27 15 46
5 Nice 27 6 43
6 Lens 27 7 42
7 Marseille 27 10 39
8 Rennes 27 7 39
9 Reims 27 -1 39
10 Lyon 27 -10 35
11 Toulouse 27 -4 32
12 Strasbourg 27 -9 32
13 Montpellier 27 -7 29
14 Nantes 27 -16 28
15 Le Havre 27 -9 27
16 Lorient 27 -15 26
17 Metz 27 -19 23
18 Clermont Foot 27 -27 20
This is an article from Get French Football News
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