PSG Ultras Taking Aim At Leadership Again Is Understandable
PSG Ultras Taking Aim At Leadership Again Is Understandable
Paris Saint-Germain's late-season performances force supporters to question the club's direction.
Paris Saint-Germain’s three-game winning run ended on Sunday with an embarrassing 3-1 loss at home to FC Lorient in Ligue 1. Achraf Hakimi’s early sending-off aside, the French champions were played off the field at Parc des Princes in some spells, with Les Merlus offering up the sort of flowing soccer that PSG can only dream of under Christophe Galtier.
The French tactician is going, and there is little doubt internally regarding that, but Les Parisiens seem intent on making his final few games as tedious as possible. Kylian Mbappe and his teammates have been underwhelming even in victory, so a slip-up somewhere after the wins away at OGC Nice and home to RC Lens felt inevitable.
However, to lose in this sort of manner—conceding three Championnat goals at home for the first time in the Qatari era—feels like a new low in a season of lows. Olympique de Marseille has closed the gap at the top of Ligue 1 to five points, and although PSG remains clear of their bitter rivals, it feels slightly less comfortable now than it was after the Lens success.
Lionel Messi jetting off to Saudi Arabia for commercial obligations has not helped matters, and the atmosphere around the capital outfit feels incredibly toxic. It was no surprise to see the Ultras coming out and taking aim at PSG leadership in the wake of the Lorient result, and it is hard to argue with their collective frustration.
The team is in utter free-fall, and although the occasional result should have stabilized them just enough to get a record 11th French title across the line, they are laboring to it. Their Ligue 1 crown is probably still safe unless there are a few more results like the Lorient one, but the current sense of paralysis around Parc des Princes will remain until there is change.
Behind the Ultras’ vocal discontent is the underlying concern that not enough is going on behind the scenes to address the rudderless nature of PSG’s end-of-season and the club’s top-to-bottom identity crisis. The gesture of sporting advisor Luis Campos addressing the players and the fans for clarity post-game will have been appreciated but likely not considered enough to reassure fans.
Right now, short of replacing Galtier and actioning changes ahead of the end of the campaign, there is little the PSG leadership can do but just hope that this all ends swiftly. The danger is that results continue to drag this out, while a few more points could present an opportunity to confirm the title and action changes and finish the term on a slight positive.
So, what can leadership realistically do? General consensus is that Galtier could be moved on as soon as the Ligue 1 title is secured and that there could even be an interim solution sought for the final few games. Zoumana Camara would be a popular choice given his history as a player and now highly-rated youth coach who is expected to step into senior coaching in the near future.
The French tactician is part of the PSG furniture and would provide the sense of stability needed around the senior squad while the leadership makes decisions for the summer and beyond. It would also be less risky and counterproductive than appointing someone for the final few games while the atmosphere is so toxic.
Considering that the title is nearly won and could even arrive with just three more points, such a decision could give Camara an opportunity to showcase his ability before either returning to his youth post or moving on. Despite being globally liked, the current PSG position probably needs somebody with a superior experience at this moment in time.
Ex-Parisien boss Thomas Tuchel illustrates the potential pitfalls of an awkward late-season introduction with Bayern Munich. To make such a change while the title is in play would be ludicrous, given that it could result in a trophy-less campaign—arguably the only thing worse than what is currently going on.
The appointment of a new boss before the end of this term with a view to observing the team ahead of their summer arrival could appeal, but it means getting those negotiations going right now. That situation is complicated, though, but question marks over Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos’ futures as well as that of Campos, who has not exactly impressed with his business so far.
The Portuguese is planning for next season and will likely handle this summer’s transfer market assault. However, it should not be ruled out that he could find himself out of a job and replaced, given his non-permanent status at the club and the ultras’ growing impatience with the club’s leadership.
Bringing back popular figures in management for short stints as an interim replacement for an interim figure has grown in popularity of late. PSG, though does not have their version of a Frank Lampard just to step in, and Chelsea’s disastrous form under their ex-midfielder suggests that it would be unwise anyway.
Whatever PSG does next, it will not be ideal and should not represent much more than a stopgap solution. However, considering how the situation has become almost untenable in recent weeks, it would not be a surprise if it arrived almost as quickly as any potential confirmed Ligue 1 title, with Galtier’s dismissal more and more of a formality with each passing week.