Could we cast a spell at Paris Saint-Germain ? Already deprived of Angel Di Maria, suspended, the capital club will certainly challenge the Atalanta Bergamo in the quarter-finals of the champions League, next Wednesday, without Kylian Mbappé, Layvin Kurzawa or Marco Verratti. What to bring to the fore, on the eve of the beginning of the " Final 8 ", the dark memories of the disappointments in paris on the european scene.
Spellbound, bewitched or marabouté, Paris Saint-Germain has never been able to compete in the final phase of the champions League with their membership type from his european return in 2012. And this year is no exception, because, once again, the PSG is decimated. Just a week of his quarter-final and the crucial champions League against Atalanta Bergamo, the capital club has without doubt lost one of its masters to play, Marco Verratti. The middle Italian international has been the victim of a "severe shock" to the training, as indicated by the PSG in a press release medical published Wednesday. The club refers to "a contusion important right calf that resulted in muscular damage," and plans to provide details " in the next 72 hours ". Unless a miracle, the Parisian hit in the calf, should, therefore, be absent of the first shock of this " Final 8 ", which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 12. The club île-de-france hope to recover to an eventual semi-final, the 18 or 19 August.
The contact is, however, not huge, but it is heavy of consequence pic.twitter.com/v00j0xmm8D
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) August 5, 2020
Already faced with the injury to Layvin Kurzawa (thigh) and the uncertainty around the physics of Kylian Mbappé (ankle sprain), coach paris, therefore, must cope with fewer staff. The left side might suffer from a muscle injury to the thigh, a worrying situation that acterait already his plan. A hard blow from which the citizens of paris would be well-private, knowing that Juan Bernat is short of pace, despite his establishment in a friendly match against Sochaux (1-0).
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The unknown Mbappé
But the big unknown remains the physical situation of Kylian Mbappé. Wounded at the victory in the final of the French Cup against the AS Saint-Étienne (1-0), the French prodigy continues its protocol of recovery " as planned ", said the club. He returned to the race without a ball on the grounds of the training center Ooredoo. However, constrained by a timing particularly tight and facing the real risk of relapse, the leaders in parisian exclude for the moment any substantive in the face of Bergamo.
⚽ #PSGFCSM
���� Thomas Tuchel : "For Mbappé, I have no idea. He works hard, but it's short, super short [...] We will see Saturday if he will be on the bench against Atalanta" pic.twitter.com/FsnMXwBKcP
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) August 5, 2020
It is thus a PSG very reduced that will face the Italian club for its entry in contention in the " Final 8 ". Thiago Motta in 2013, Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the following year, Thiago Silva in 2015, not to mention Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore against Manchester City, Barcelona in 2017, up to Neymar in 2018 and 2019 or Cavani against Manchester United, the list of disappointments in paris in the champions League continues to grow. Since its acquisition by leaders-qatari in 2011, Paris Saint-Germain is facing away from mark before turning to each of its major european meetings.
history repeats itself
it All begins in the 2012-2013 season. Eight years after his last participation, the PSG signs his return in the most prestigious competition of the clubs. Qualified for the knockout stages, the Paris Saint-Germain eliminates the Valencia CF (1-1, 1-2), and faces FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals. A match that will miss Thiago Motta, the metronome of this parisian team, plagued by multiple physical problems. The PSG is removed from the C1 by FC Barcelona, without losing (2-2, 1-1).
The following season, the parisian club faced Chelsea in the quarter-final, having easily disposed of Bayer Leverkusen (0-4, 2-1). If the first leg at the Parc des princes runs perfectly, with a convincing success 3-1, Zlatan Ibrahimovic fate, however injury shortly after the hour of play, touched the thigh. A wound that will not allow him to play the return match at Stamford Bridge. Edinson Cavani, who is used to evolve on the one hand, replaces it at the foot raised a point of attack. Without success. Despite their 3-1 victory in the away game, the Parisians, now coached by Laurent Blanc, are only three minutes from the end of regulation time on a goal from Demba Ba, lord successor (2-0). PSG was eliminated in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row. Terrible disillusionment.
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In 2015, bis repetita. Expelled during the eighth back in the face of Chelsea (2-2), Zlatan Ibrahimovic place in the quarter-final tie at the Parc des princes against FC Barcelona. Just as Marco Verratti and Serge Aurier, suspended. Or even Lucas and Thiago Motta, wounded. Worse, Thiago Silva has to leave prematurely, to his own injury after 20 minutes of play. Far too limited, PSG dark and the result is without appeal. Barça wins the set 3-1 to the Park and then 2-0 at the Camp Nou.
The history repeats itself again the following year. This time, it is Manchester City that presents itself in the quarter-finals of the competition. But really, nothing is ever simple with the Paris Saint-Germain. Private Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti for the go, Paris stutters a football (2-2). At the back, always deprived of the middle Italian and subject to the suspensions of David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi, the French engineering sets up an unlikely 3-5-2 which sounds the knell of the hopes in paris (1-0).
in the Face of Barcelona, the humiliation of the century
In 2017, this is Unai Emery, who took command of the parisian club. At the Park, to challenge Barca in the round, the tactician, Spanish must deprive himself of his captain, Thiago Silva – made three days earlier for muscle pain – and Thiago Motta, an indispensable element of its tactical. The brazilian defender is giving its place to Presnel Kimpembe. Against all odds, in his first game of the champions League, the young Parisian off all of the offensive's citizens. His team wins in the event (4-0). No need to remember the return match that will always be the complicated history of the Paris Saint-Germain in the champions League. In a Camp Nou filled with block and faced a Barcelona sentenced to the feat, Paris suffers a humiliation in rule (6-1), despite the return of his captain, but without Thiago Motta.
The following season, Unai Emery, at the head of a workforce enriched, must compensate the lack of size. The coach in Spanish cannot count on his star brazilian Neymar, recruited to € 222 million at the mercato in summer. One night of Call in the face of the OM at the Parc des princes (3-0), and only nine days of the eighth-final return against Real Madrid in the champions League, Neymar collapsed in the cold parisian and ice the aisles of the Parc des princes. For long minutes the earth, the hands on the face, the number 10 in paris, unable to stand, finally came out on a stretcher. It will leave the lawn in tears and the stadium on crutches. The next day, the verdict is in : the Brazilian was the victim of a crack in the fifth metatarsal right and will not compete in the clash against the title holder, in madrid. PSG loses 2-1 to the Park after to have surrendered at the Bernabeu (3-1). A defeat which sounded the death knell of the era of Unai Emery in the capital.
All hopes on Neymar Jr
Finally, the bloodshed continues in 2019. Neymar Jr, Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier are missing. The star auriverde of the PSG is the victim of a relapse, contracted during a match against Strasbourg. Again touched the fifth metatarsal right, the biggest transfer in football history is sidelined and missing the knockout stages against Manchester United. Wounded in the thigh, Edinson Cavani – scorer of the club – will miss him as the two oppositions, while Thomas Miller is invalid. If Paris wins in England (2-0), the men of Thomas Tuchel are one of the worst disappointments of their european history bowing at home (3-1).
history repeats itself, so in 2020 with new absences major. Victims of a downward spiral, the players of Thomas Tuchel will hope that these blows of fate do contrecarreront not their european dreams. All hopes would therefore rest on Neymar Jr, to finally allow the Paris Saint-Germain to pass a course.
