PSG 2022/23 season review: Champions, but at what cost? | OneFootball

PSG continued their dominance of Ligue 1 but questions continue to plague the capital club as they struggle under the weight of enormous expectation.

Competition breakdown

Ligue 1 – Champions

Champions again, but at what cost?

Paris Saint-Germain managed to keep their holy trinity of strikers over the summer and were confident that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé could finally form the ultimate forward trio.

It hasn’t quite worked out like that.

Thanks to indifferent performances and unlicensed trips abroad, supporters have turned on Messi and Neymar in particular and are calling for a more holistic approach to recruitment.

Champions League – Round of 16

PSG really did shoot themselves in their proverbial Champions League foot this time around as they somehow transpired to finish second in the group behind Benfica.

A pair of 1-1 draws with the Portuguese side meant that Christophe Galtier’s side ceded top on away goals scored and earned themselves a last 16 match-up with Bayern Munich.

And not for the first time in recent years, PSG crumbled against the first good side they came up against.

Coupe de France – Round of 16

It was a Classique encounter in the round of 16 as PSG were drawn away at Marseille.

And not for the first time this term, the capital club were lethargic and second best as they lost to their bitter rivals 2-1.

Trophée des Champions – Champions

The campaign had started so well with Nantes being dispatched 4-0 in the annual curtain-raiser.

It was to be one of the rare highs for Christophe Galtier and his men.

Player of the season: Kylian Mbappé

The highest-earner, the talisman and this season, their best player by a mile.

When Paris Saint-Germain have been in need, invariably it’s been Kylian Mbappé who has come to their rescue.

The question now though, is how long will a superstar put up with below par results?

Game of the season: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Juventus

For a brief moment, it looked as if PSG’s hunt for European glory could just happen.

Juventus came to the Parc des Princes in their opening game of the Champions League group stage in what looked like being a battle for top spot.

Mbappé obliterated the Italian defence inside the opening quarter as the flying Frenchman netted twice to hand Les Parisien the advantage.

PSG showed the other side of their qualities in the second half as they defended for their lives to grind out a 2-1 win.

It seemed like the start of something. It wasn’t.

Top goalscorer: Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé has taken his goalscoring exploits to another level this season with the superstar netting 36 goals in 42 games.

But it’s not just the sheer number of goals that’s impressed but the variety of the finishes.

When it came to the crunch though – the Bayern Champions League clashes – Mbappé was conspicuous by his absence.

Rising star: Warren Zaire-Emery

Still only 17 and having already played 29 games in all competitions this season, Warren Zaire-Emery has already proved himself to be not just a rising star, but a fully blown supernova.

With Marco Verratti coming towards the end of his career, there was a worry in the French capital about they could replace the Italian maestro.

There are no worries about that now.

What comes next?

There looks set to be another summer of upheaval with coach Christophe Galtier almost certainly getting the boot and Lionel Messi all but leaving at the end of his contract.

Neymar could also be following them out of the door with rumours of a move to the Premier League getting stronger by the day.

Of course, seeing those big names leave could work out as a net positive in the end but the club’s ultimate dream of a European title will surely be pushed back again.