If we are talking about curses, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) seems to be facing one, a conclusion derived from the announcement of the injury of Argentine star Lionel Messi, which is added to that of the also galactic Kylian Mbappé.
First L’Equipe newspaper and then the RMC Sport channel reported that the Qatar-2022 world champion suffered a hamstring injury the day before in the round of 16 match of the French Cup, in which the Rouge et Bleu were eliminated 1-2 by Olympique de Marseille.
For the time being, the 35-year-old striker will not be in the squad to face Monaco on Saturday in the 23rd round of Ligue 1.
Worse still, Leo could miss the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against mighty Bayern Munich on February 14, a match in which Mbappé, who was sidelined for around three weeks on February 1, also due to hamstring problems, in the clash against Montpellier in the domestic competition, is almost certain to be absent.
If to the injuries of the two Qatari superstars we add the instability recently shown by the other tip of the stellar trident, Brazilian Neymar, the word crisis fits like a glove for PSG’s current situation, which must be keeping its top brass and in particular coach Christophe Galtier awake at night.
In the first part of the 2022-2023 season, the Parisian club went undefeated in all competitions, guided by a brilliant campaign of its three stars, who tired to score goals and assists, but everything changed for the worse after the return of the World Cup.
Since the resumption of official matches at the end of December, the trident has rarely been together on the pitch, and to make matters worse came Mbappé’s injury, and now Messi’s, which has the City of Light and the fans of their flagship team on edge.
This year, PSG have taken to the field nine times in Ligue1 and the Coupe de France, with a discreet balance – given their favoritism – of five wins, three defeats and a draw, a transformation that no one should question if it is attributed to some jinx.
Between absences and lack of goals, Mbappé scored five goals in that period (all in a Coupe de France match), Messi three and Neymar two.
But it is not the past that worries, but the first leg against Bayern, in which everything points to a Ney in the role of obligatory hero, with the defensive contribution of veteran central defenders Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, to avoid a disaster at home, the Parc des Princes.
The expectation reigns around Messi’s health and the time he will be out, as well as Kylian’s recovery, while here in Paris they cross their fingers and figure out how to scare away the eventual demons.
