To Make the Next Step, PSG Must Be Bold and Overhaul Squad This Summer

Without scratching the surface, it would be easy to call this season a success for Paris Saint-Germain.

Although knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate, the Ligue 1 champions, despite a poor performance over the two legs, were not that far away from a place in the semi-finals—it was definitely a wonderful opportunity to reach the final four.

Tuesday night’s 1-0 away win over FC Lorient saw the Parisians qualify for the Coupe de France final, a trophy they won last year as part of a domestic quadruple and something they obviously hope to accomplish once again.

Game-winner Zlatan Ibrahimovic told reporters after the game:

The important thing was to win tonight because this was a knockout match. This is an important trophy for us because we won it last year and we want to keep it. It’s very hard to play on this surface, that doesn’t exist anywhere else. But we won and that’s the important thing. My goal? It’s an important goal because it was the winning goal. If someone else had scored I would have been just as happy because it meant we are qualified for the final.

They will face either FC Sochaux or bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille at the end-of-season showcase. On Saturday, they take on Lille at the Stade de France as they look to add the Coupe de la Ligue prize to the Trophee des Champions and league success.

However, Tuesday’s performance, following on from the lacklustre displays against Manchester City, had a weird feeling about it. Blanc may have spoken about other factors to blame, but there is a sense of a bigger issue at hand.

Blanc admitted after the game:

It’s never easy to win here. I can’t remember an easy match against Lorient. Firstly, they are a very organised team that is used to playing on the artificial pitch. Secondly, we always seem to concede goals here, but this time we avoided that. We had thought we would have to score two or even three. But tonight we showed the right attitude and we are through to the final.

There is a sense his time with the club is coming to the end of its cycle. Before Tuesday’s game, there were rumours PSG had begun talks with Jose Mourinho about becoming the new boss at the Parc des Princes for next season, as reported by the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson and …

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