PSG look like Champions League contenders, not pretenders
By Cay North
After a number of failures in recent years, it looks like PSG might finally have a squad that can take them all the way in the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain is no stranger to failures in the Champions League. Ever since they ascended to the status of being one of Europe’s top clubs, they’ve always been good enough to give other elite clubs a run for their money. However, they’re also known for coming just short of their ultimate goal.
From the 2012 season to the 2015 one, PSG finished every season as a quarterfinalist in the Champions League. They built up a streak of four straight appearances at that stage, but each time would see them ultimately fall to someone like Barcelona, Chelsea, or Manchester City.
During the 2016 season, their streak was snapped after their humiliating collapse versus Barcelona, which saw them lose 6-5 on aggregate and go home in the round of sixteen. That loss, though, may have pushed PSG to the early successes of this year. Those successes still have the chance to turn into something more, and unlike past years, PSG doesn’t look like a pretender that can only make it to the quarterfinals.
It’s not just the eye test that makes them look good, although the addition of Neymar and Mbappe has made them one of the most pleasing teams to watch for fans of attacking football. This team has scored more goals in the Champions League group stages than any other in history. Their 7-1 rout of Celtic saw them score enough times to guarantee that they will end group play with more than 21 goals, breaking the record set last year by Borussia Dortmund.
While their group might be considered easier than others, it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, either. Their 5-0-0 record in the group includes a win over FC Bayern, one of the clubs that has consistently advanced further in the competition than PSG. No matter what the result is when they play again in December, goal differential practically guarantees that PSG will finish at the top of the group.
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It’s not too surprising that PSG is finally looking like a club that can win the whole competition. Not only did they spend big to add Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to their attack, they also signed manager Unai Emery because of his Europa League success with Sevilla. He won the Europa League three straight times with Sevilla, and while that competition is very different from the Champions League, it shows that he knows how to manage a team at a high level during cup competitions.
When you look deeper into the statistics and compare them to other teams, it says even more about PSG’s chances. Only one other club has a 5-0-0 record with one matchday left, and that’s a Manchester City team that’s in first place in the Premier League. PSG also has eight more goals than the next top scoring team, Liverpool, and they’re tied with Barcelona for the least goals conceded.
If PSG is going to make a deep run in the Champions League, maybe even the run to the final that they’ve been searching for in recent years, it makes the most sense for it to happen now. With the rumors of Neymar transferring away to Real Madrid looming, there’s no guarantee that the current squad will still be together to get a second chance.
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What happens past the group stage will define the current group of players, but right now, it looks like PSG might just be the competition’s favorites for the first time in club history.