Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe handed scores of THREE out of 10 by L’Equipe
Paris Saint-Germain have been labeled an ‘ordinary’ side with ‘abysmal weaknesses’ where ‘average players continue to die’, as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi found themselves savagely attacked in L’Equipe’s infamous player ratings.
Having lost the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 1-0 in Paris, the return against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night saw another 2-0 defeat to condemn PSG to another sad European exit.
french newspaper L’Equipe they rarely bite their tongues, especially when it comes to PSG, and they didn’t hold back after a sub-par performance in Germany that proved PSG “haven’t really changed.”
‘At PSG, when it comes to the Champions League round of 16, defeat is a culture’, columnist furious vincent duluc.
He goes on to accuse the French team of possessing a ‘fundamental inability to grow, to continue to offer stability to undeserving players over time, like Marco Verratti’, who was given a 2/10 rating for his performance on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi (left) and Kylian Mbappe (right) have been savagely attacked in L’Equipe player ratings
They say PSG, led by Christophe Galtier, is ‘where average players continue to die’
“PSG never gave the impression that they could reverse the result in Munich,” another columnist added.
“Messi and Mbappé were completely gagged, and PSG have once again become an ordinary team, outclassed by Bayern Munich.”
Under Qatari ownership, PSG have been desperate to win the biggest prize in European football and have paid huge sums of money to lure some of the world’s best players to the French capital.
But having not returned to the final since his last trip in 2020, Duluc sees no real rhyme or reason for the biggest names in the game to head to PSG.
“There’s no reason why the best players in the world come to Paris for anything other than a better contract than anywhere else, and there’s also no reason why average players don’t keep dying there,” he said.
In a damning indictment, he added: “At PSG, when it comes to the Champions League round of 16, defeat is a culture.”
L’Equipe’s notorious ratings are ruthless and it’s considered a phenomenal achievement if a player ever tops out, a feat accomplished by fewer than 20 players in ratings history.
There was going to be no such passing grades on a miserable night in Bavaria with Messi and Mbappe rated 3/10.
They pointed out that Mbappé was ‘feared’ by Bayern ahead of the match, but that he ‘did not catch fire as expected’ in a fierce battle with Dayot Upamecano.
Of the six duels between the two, Mbappé lost them all.
Mbappé was expected to light up the round of 16 second leg, yet he finished with a score of 3/10
His teammate Marco Verratti received an even worse grade after a ‘nightmare’ performance
Of Messi, L’Equipe wrote: ‘[His performance] It is very little and it is very disappointing in a game of this importance. It was very disappointing.
However, there was going to be a player who scored even worse than Messi and Mbappe, with Marco Verratti getting just 2/10.
‘Lots of energy, activity and availability in the first half,’ his verdict read, ‘before going under completely.
‘His risk-taking facing his own area brought Bayern’s first goal (minute 61). Again it was he who lost the ball in the goal of (Serge) Gnabry (89th). A nightmare.’
Neymar missed out through injury and while the Brazilian has plenty of critics, columnist Damien Degorre believes there is no credible argument for PSG being ‘better’ without him.
“If the team is better balanced without Neymar, it certainly isn’t better without him,” he wrote.
‘Mbappé, who was not opposed to the idea of the Brazilian leaving last summer, would not have been against receiving one or two good balls from him on Wednesday either. They didn’t come from Lionel Messi anyway.
The 8/10 marks for Upamecano and Leon Goretza marked a stark contrast, but the focus is on PSG and what the future holds with doubts over whether Messi, Mbappe and Neymar will be at the club next season, as well as the manager. Christophe Galtier.