PSG suffered a 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the first leg of the semi-final on Wednesday and now they have a mountain to climb next week.
The home side took the lead in the 15th minute of the match and if they had taken all the chances that had come their way, PSG could have killed off the tie in the first-half itself. But, with the score still at 1-0, Man City had a chance to make a comeback and right after the break, Guardiola’s side shifted gears promptly.
Man City blew away PSG in the second 45 minutes and according to Arsene Wenger, as soon as the scoreline read 1-1, the Parisian outfit collapsed, thereby making life even easier for City.
Wenger told beIN SPORT, as quoted: ‘From the defenders turning their back, it’s between Paredes and Kimpembe. Why do you lie a guy on the ground if the guys in the wall open the wall?’
‘I personally believe that the second goal is not acceptable for that level. It’s not the first time we see players turning their back and City took advantage of that. But I must say in the second half PSG were protective and not progressive any more. Is it because they were not physically capable?
‘After the 1-1, they collapsed completely. They become emotional and aggressive in a stupid way. What was very interesting tonight is that you could see that when it was 1-1, PSG mentally collapsed,
‘This is as well the consequence of this team losing eight games in the league. This has an impact in this kind of situation. When it’s 1-1 the team knows they have lost many games, they carry that. It’s not like the season before when they were unbeatable in the league.
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‘You could see the confidence dropped considerably and the mental impact when Man City equalised, for the semi-final of a Champions League, was too big.’
PSG with players like Mbappe and Neymar in their side could manage only four shots on target such was the defensive cohesiveness of the Premier League side.
Even Mauricio Pochettino has admitted after the match that silly errors and a failure to convert chances helped Man City creep back into the tie.
PSG will need to score at least two goals at the Etihad next week, which is easier said than done. But first, Pochettino will have to ensure that his side do not head to England thinking that the tie is already beyond them.
