A win at Lyon after the rout of Real Madrid has the French press dreaming of European glory but we have been here before

PSG must act as if they’ve achieved nothing despite a pitch-perfect week.

“If anyone asks if we are going to win the Champions League, I’m leaving.” Thomas Tuchel’s opening line at Wednesday night’s post-match presser was said in jest, but he may have unwittingly stumbled upon the right idea. The 3-0 drubbing of Real Madrid was a high water mark for the German’s reign so far, but the club have been here before. On those occasions the 6-1 ‘remontada’ at the Camp Nou and the soul destroying exit to Manchester United, which L’Équipe’s front page called “even worse”, eventually arrived to humiliate PSG. As Sunday night’s encounter with Lyon underlined, simply managing this latest heightening of expectations could be pivotal to Tuchel’s success.

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Two years ago this week, PSG opened their home European campaign with a landmark three-goal victory, with Bayern Munich roundly beaten at the Parc des Princes. In Kylian Mbappé’s first truly sparkling display for the club, David Alaba was terrorised, a Munich team including Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, Thiago Alcântara, Arturo Vidal and James Rodríguez were easily dispatched and, soon afterwards, Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti was sacked. It was the first high profile outing for ‘MCN’ and the performance showed, many thought, that PSG had finally arrived as a Champions League force.

Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola said the win represented “our true level” while Mbappé put in an ‘XXL performance’ according to L’Équipe. This week L’Équipe again got rather excited. ‘Dance with angels’ and ‘Paris were angelic’ were the sports daily’s headlines in reference to Angel Di María’s man-of-the-match display. Tuchel spoke of “a very complete performance”. PSG were outstanding in both games, but it is hard to ignore that the opposition were not of the standard one might expect.

Two years ago, as Ancelotti’s Bayern reign faltered, his more relaxed style – devoid of the rigour and discipline Bayern players were accustomed to under Pep Guardiola – produced draws with Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin alongside a defeat to Hoffenheim in the club’s first five Bundesliga games. Madrid meanwhile, led by a barely fit Eden Hazard on his first competitive start for the club, continue to search for balance and spark following Zinedine Zidane’s return. Neither win, although suitably impressive, was quite the flag planting, coming of age, usurping of champions story that the French media wanted them to be.

That cloying desire to be accepted, to be taken seriously, to be seen as equals by Europe’s established elite has consumed the club and French press more and more after every eventual disaster. It is their greatest issue; beyond endemic mental frailty, fractious squad dynamics and often pandering to their biggest stars. PSG are the clingy, needy members of the group who try way too hard. That is not to say they have not slowly improved of late. Tuchel has made at least marginal gains in those areas, while the win over Real can be added to last season’s group-stage victory against the eventual champions, Liverpool, and professional displays in the first leg at Old Trafford as well as in two draws with Napoli, as demonstrations of rising to the big occasions. But in truth these are mere steps, and small ones at that.

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A turgid encounter with Lyon on Sunday night, usually a bombastic affair, was another sign PSG remain deeply flawed. Despite being enhanced on paper by swapping Presnel Kimpembe and an unfit Mauro Icardi for Abdou Diallo and Neymar for a game that Tuchel said was like “another Champions League match”, PSG were solid but lacked fluency and, for 87 minutes, any inspiration. Much as they were against Strasbourg last Saturday. But, just like that eventual 1-0 win, Neymar’s individual brilliance snatched three points PSG scarcely deserved. An outrageous injury-time bicycle kick winner last week preceded some lightning quick feet and an even sharper shot that caught Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes cold to fizz into his far corner and win the latest game.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Neymar fires in PSG’s late winer at Lyon after creating space superbly. Photograph: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images

Tuchel and PSG deserve credit for overcoming Lyon’s challenge, emerging unscathed from a ground where they have often received a bloody nose. However, considering OL’s rapidly diminishing form under Sylvinho, it is also less of a triumph than they would have hoped to paint it. Where the much maligned Bruno Genesio would swing hard at home, Sylvinho reverted to type for a Ligue 1 side facing PSG by switching to five at the back and hoping for some space on the counter. It was not forthcoming. Since the exacting 6-0 win over Angers, Lyon have drawn three matches and lost two, while their football has become increasingly stilted and unambitious. A young and previously free-wheeling squad appear comparatively meek and uninspired. They were there for the taking.

If PSG are to finally progress, they need to stop pointing to these wins of little consequence and telling everyone they are doing so. Although beating Madrid and Lyon is creditable, in a wider context it has little bearing on their ability to impact the Champions League and reach their self-identified holy grail.

For Tuchel, when he is inevitably peppered with questions about winning the Champions League – either from journalists or those above him, the best he can do is follow his own advice. Get up and leave the room.

Ligue 1 talking points

• Angers continued their eye-catching start with a 4-1 routing of Europa League-weary St Étienne. Wahbi Khazri and Loïc Perrin were rested by the visitors while a late hat-trick from substitute Casimir Ninga embellished the scoreline, but Stéphane Moulin deserves much credit for his latest under the radar magic trick. A club of minimal resources and little stature, Angers recruit from Ligue 2’s pool of talent better than anyone, and their wily coach repeatedly squeezes out a lot from an unfashionable squad. Ninga, a forward who has been around the league for some time but always a long way from prolific, is the latest example. Sunday’s entire XI were either promoted with the club in 2015, signed from the second tier or came up with Nïmes last season. This win put them second; a run in Europe would be a just reward for Moulin’s brilliance.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Casimir Ninga (far left) takes the acclaim of his Angers teammates after his decisive impact from the bench. Photograph: Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images

• Premier League clubs will start next season as the only members of the top five leagues with two domestic cup competitions to contend with, after the French footballing authorities made the surprise decision to abolish the Coupe de la Ligue. The decision was taken to “lighten the competition schedule, give players more recovery time and offer an additional place in the European Cups via Ligue 1”. Many in the French press have reported that the lack of bids for TV rights was also a central factor. Whatever the motivation, this is likely to be beneficial for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs as few take the competition seriously until at last the quarter-finals and games are poorly attended. Whether fans of Strasbourg, St Étienne, Sochaux and Gueugnon FC – all left-field winners this century – will agree is another matter.

Quick guide Ligue 1 results Show Hide Lyon 0-1 PSG, Angers 4-1 St Etienne, Rennes 1-1 Lille, Bordeaux 2-2 Brest, Metz 1-2 Amiens, Nice 2-1 Dijon, Nîmes 1-0 Toulouse, Reims 0-0 Monaco, Marseille 1-1 Montpellier



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