It should be the time of the great thrill. The one where the scent of European evenings intoxicates your senses and makes you lose your mind. Unfortunately it is rather with their heads upside down that supporters of Paris Saint-Germain have been waking up for three years now. For them, the knockout stages of the Champions League have become synonymous. And the content of the PSG defeat in the first leg against Dortmund (1-2) did not convince them that a change of era was taking place.
"Sometimes we wonder why we keep supporting them," sighs Jérôme, a subscriber to Auteuil. It feels like no one at the club is learning from the past and it's exhausting. It gives the feeling of being in the film A Day Without End . And frankly, if it's to live the same thing every year, it doesn't make sense to have stars like Neymar and Mbappé. "
"It was a very stressful period," confirms Greg, a subscriber in the Boulogne stand. I made the trip to Dortmund, and even if the result is not bad, we blame Tuchel for having made this last minute tactical change. This is the reason why he was whistled before the match against Bordeaux ( note: victory 4-3 ). So yes, I will be desperate if we do not qualify this time. Frankly I sometimes tell myself that we are maraboutés, that there is a curse that hangs over PSG in the Champions League. In addition there is crazy pressure this year after OL's victory over Juventus ( Editor's note: 1-0 outward ). My DNA is Paris, so when I see people on social media on the Internet, it drives me crazy. "
"We should be the happiest supporters in the world"
Hard to be a supporter of PSG, even when your team flies over Ligue 1 and remains on 6 titles of champion of France in 7 seasons. "We should be the happiest supporters in the world!" Sums up Jérôme, a subscriber in the side gallery. We are champions almost every year, we are superior in Marseille, in Lyon, and we win almost all national cups ... But we only look at our club through the results in Europe. The players themselves only think about that. Obviously, we are disappointed when we see the performance of Dortmund. And I don't understand the pressure they put on themselves before these meetings. "
"This period has been both exciting but also terribly frustrating for the past three years," said Thomas Hugues, journalist for CNews and RTL, a subscriber to the Parc des Princes for many years. The peculiarity of this eighth final is that we talk about it for months, not like the quarters and a half that are linked. But the fan’s characteristic is to hope for the next match. "
Hope to drive out the demons and better refuse the fatality of an early elimination which has taken the habit of pointing its nose at the same time as spring. It is the technique of many fans that the escalation or the crash of Manchester United did not fully vaccinate. "From year to year, we are always surprised," advises Kévin (30) present at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. So certainly we are psychologically prepared, but it still hurts each time to see the list of injured lengthen or the controversy swell around the club at the time of the eighth. For three years, I would not say that I no longer trust, but I no longer expect anything. I'm waiting for D-Day and I see what's going on. "
"Verratti, I love him as much as I want him"
If faith is still there, lurking deep in the heart and soul, it is tinged with a dose of resignation. Fatality ? Why not since we have to find reasons for such an inability to break this glass ceiling of the eighth or even the quarterfinals. " It's always the same story. Even before the reassembly, we had already scuttled in the Champions League, Chelsea or Manchester City (note: in the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2016 ). We drag a black cat not possible, laments Denis, 30, a loyal fan but not a subscriber. How many great matches have we played in Europe since Qatar? Three, four maximum. We don't have the c…. to resist the other teams. So yes, we watch the Champions League games but we don't really believe it. I really couldn't believe a win in the second leg. And even if we pass, what are we going to do in the quarterfinals? Nothing. "
It is a bit radical but it says a lot about the disappointment that the poor performances of Thiago Silva and others carry. For many lovers of the Park, the players are the main responsible even if everyone likes to exegete these early eliminations. "When I see Verratti being suspended because of a dispute, I tell myself that we shoot ourselves in the foot," blows Greg, the Boulogne fan. Verratti, I love her as much as I blame her on that one. "
"The weakness of the institution"
"And no one comes to talk to me about Ligue 1 and its level, that has nothing to do with it," adds Denis. It is the state of mind that is wrong, it lacks the desire to tear for this club. Until Leonardo changes this, the results will not change. I trust him so that we know better days. Neymar, Mbappé, they are geniuses but their heads are elsewhere. They do not care a bit about this club and the trace they will leave in Paris. There is a real identity problem apart from Kimpembe and Marquinhos. "
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The players or the club, who is the most at fault? This is the question to be decided. "I am very sensitive to the weakness of the institution," comments journalist Thomas Hugues. This is in my opinion the main reason why the PSG does not manage to cross a course. But it is also normal because Paris does not have the prize list and the history of a club like Liverpool or Real Madrid. "While they don't all have the same point of view, these supporters have the same certainty. The one they will be at the stadium or in front of their television on Wednesday March 11 to support Paris.
"I experienced the dark years between 2005 and 2010, and it never started my love for the club," said Kevin who saw his first game at the age of 5. “Yes, I am a bit grumpy after a defeat, but I try not to suffer for my colleagues or my family. So, on March 11, I will be at the Park, ”assures Thomas Hugues. "Yes, we will be there, and we will push and hope," says Greg.
