Time running out for Ancelotti at PSG
After stumbling through the last month, Paris Saint-Germain's 2-1
defeat in Nice - the birthplace of Garibaldi - on Saturday may have
signalled the beginning of the end for the Italian experiment at the
Parc des Princes.
Supposedly all-powerful PSG coming undone against relatively limited
opponents has become a familiar theme in recent weeks. Over the last
month they have been beaten at home by Saint-Etienne and nine-man
Rennes, while also being held to a draw in Montpellier.
That last result sparked, in coach Carlo Ancelotti's own words, a
"crisis", before wins against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League and at
home to Troyes last weekend settled the mood around the club. But,
since then, PSG have been knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue
quarter-finals on penalties at Saint-Etienne, and now lost in Nice, with
Valentin Eysseric scoring the south-coast club's winner after Zlatan
Ibrahimovic had cancelled out Éric Bauthéac's opener in a frantic
finale. Blaise Matuidi's stupid sending-off, for a second booking after
pushing over Nice goalkeeper David Ospina in injury time, summed up a
disastrous night.
In many matches this season, including some that PSG have won, the
opposition has shown greater fighting spirit. That can be partly
explained by their desire to show up well against the one true giant of
the French game, but Ancelotti is also guilty of not creating a similar
spirit in his squad of stars.
"This PSG will not be champions", ran the headline in L'Equipe on
Sunday, with columnist Vincent Duluc adding that "PSG were better when
they had fewer great players." The capital club are now fourth in Ligue
1, five points behind leaders Lyon after 15 games. They have taken just
four points from their last five matches. At the same point last season,
they were second, and were four points better off than they are now.
And since then they have brought in the likes of Thiago Silva and
Ibrahimovic, whose thumping free-kick in Nice left him with 13 goals
from 12 Ligue 1 appearances.
"There is a problem," admitted Ancelotti on Saturday. "We lack
continuity in our play, intensity but also responsibility. The coach
must be responsible but so must the players. They are not always focused
on the project of the club. There is a lack of solidarity on the pitch.
The whole team annoys me just now."
Despite their domestic troubles, PSG are at least through to the last
16 of the Champions League, which reduces the possibility of a
knee-jerk reaction from the club's Qatari owners at the moment. Compared
to his predecessors, Ancelotti's record at the Parc des Princes remains
favourable, with 18 wins and five defeats in 34 league games. However,
his inability to introduce a recognisable style and any clear cohesion
in his team has been striking. His decision to make just one change to
his starting line-up on Saturday, just four days after that Cup tie in
Saint-Etienne went all the way to 120 minutes and penalties and despite
the multiple options open to him, was also striking.
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the club's owners, are said to have
run out of patience with Ancelotti, and with sporting director Leonardo,
who persuaded them to appoint the former AC Milan and Chelsea coach
last winter. At the time, Arsène Wenger had been their first choice.
Going through a difficult time at Arsenal, Wenger would perhaps be
open to the prospect of joining PSG in the near future. He has ties to
Qatar as well, thanks to his work as a pundit for television channel
Al-Jazeera. But Wenger is just one of the names on the managerial
wishlist. L'Equipe claim that contact has been made with Pep Guardiola,
and that the former Barcelona coach could be persuaded to move to France
next summer, though not before. Reports in Le Parisien also now state
that Jose Mourinho has been approached, backing-up claims that have come
from the Madrid media in recent months.
If one of these names is persuaded to come on board, it is not likely
to be until next season. But that doesn't mean that Ancelotti is
certain to see out the campaign, with the Belgian Eric Gerets, formerly
in charge at Marseille and currently coaching in Qatar, being touted as a
potential stop-gap. Either way, time appears to be running out for the
present incumbent of the Paris bench.