“Of course the title is for Paris. There is not much doubt about that,” admitted Lens manager Franck Haise in the wake of their 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Business as usual, then. How could PSG not retain their title with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe linking up like this?
The 2022-23 season’s most predictable title race is headed to its inevitable conclusion. With the victory, PSG moved nine points clear of second-placed surprise package Lens. There are only seven matches remaining and the only remaining question is when – not if – Messi, Mbappe and company get their hands on the trophy.
Anyone could have told you from the way in which the Parisiens clicked into gear in the early months of the campaign. Prior to the World Cup break, Christophe Galtier had built arguably the most cohesive-looking PSG side of the QSI era, one which built a solid platform for their front three to devastate their opponents.
This had looked the closest approximation yet to Luis Enrique’s treble-winning Barcelona, an unstoppable force that was all about having an industrious midfield and defence that allowed triumvirate Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez to wreak havoc in the final third.
Come the World Cup, Messi and Mbappe continued to fly. They finished champion and runner-up respectively in Qatar, one ending up named the tournament’s best player and the other the tournament’s top scorer. They scored a combined five goals in the most thrilling final in years and – naturally – tucked away their penalties in the shootout.
Equipped with arguably the best two players in the world looking at the peak of their powers, how could PSG be stopped? Quite easily, as it happens. Their season has taken on a quite familiar trajectory.
Messi and Mbappe were left isolated and ineffective as PSG failed to score and meekly exited the Champions League at the round of 16 stage against Bayern, while they were eliminated by old rivals Marseille on home soil in the French Cup.
Suffering a shocking World Cup hangover, PSG have lost no fewer than eight matches in all competitions in 2023. With five league defeats since the World Cup, even the Ligue 1 title looked under threat as the unthinkable prospect of a trophyless season loomed.
• • • •
READ: The top 10 goalscorers in Europe since Lionel Messi’s Barcelona debut
• • • •
It now appears likely that these will be Messi’s final few weeks in Paris. The Argentinian was booed by PSG’s fans following…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…