Jamie Carragher has confessed he is “delighted” that Paris Saint-Germain have been eliminated from the Champions League.
The Ligue 1 leaders were meekly eliminated from the competition on Wednesday night as they fell to a two-goal defeat to Bayern Munich. That sealed their fate in the Champions League with a 3-0 aggregate defeat.
It was the fifth time in the last seven seasons that the French club had been eliminated from the competition at the Round of 16. The tournament has proven to be elusive for the club and their long wait for European glory continues, having never lifted the trophy.
PSG’s best performance in the competition was their 2020 final loss to Bayern, while they have only progressed beyond the last eight twice in their history. Following their takeover by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in June 2011, there was a heightened sense of expectation that they would make a breakthrough in Europe.
However, despite qualifying for the quarter-finals in four successive seasons between 2013 and 2016, breaking football’s transfer fee records and spending more on wages than any other club in the world, they have been unable to enjoy sustained success in the Champions League.
“I am delighted that PSG have gone out,” Carragher said after the match on CBS Sports. “I just don’t like the whole setup – everything about it. That is not a team, it is a mess.
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“Five years of the last seven, they have gone out at the Round of 16. They have spent more money than anyone. They have the best players in the world.
“And this is brilliant because it shows you how important it is to actually be a team. It is really important in football. We love individuals within a team but that is not a team. Kylian Mbappe has got to leave that club.”
PSG are now set for another underwhelming season having already been eliminated from the Coupe de France by Marseille last month. They will have their sights set on winning Ligue 1 this season but that may not be enough to save under-pressure manager Christophe Galtier.
He was only appointed as the club’s boss last summer to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who himself was dismissed from the hot seat at the Parc des Princes due to his lack of success on the European stage.
