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Ligue 1: PSG loses the north, the suspense (again) revived

2021-04-04T14:10:45.722Z


Beaten on Saturday by an efficient Lille team, PSG is, with Lyon, the big loser of the weekend in L1. 


Decidedly, this Ligue 1 is unpredictable.

While we thought he had left to end the season with a cannonball after his impressive victory in Lyon (2-4), before the international break, PSG, leader before the 31st day, fell back into his failings against Lille ( 0-1), Saturday, at the Parc des Princes.

Without idea, lacking in commitment and rigor, Mauricio Pochettino's players have given back the leading position to the Mastiffs.

A match to forget, symbolized by the losing return of Neymar, generally missed his subject and expelled.

“Everything was rosy after Lyon, it's different today,” summarizes the Argentinian coach of Paris-SG, struggling to explain the chronic irregularity of his players.

The same who dominated Losc two and a half weeks ago in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France (3-0).

With Paris, it's going to come.

READ ALSO

 - The notes of PSG-Lille: André and Soumaré rule in the middle, Neymar sees red


READ ALSO

 - Galtier on the title race: "We are in the fight"

Of course, the vice-champions of Europe generally dominated the debates against a solid and united Lille team, who scored on their first opportunity and sent only three shots in the direction of Keylor Navas' goal.

But we are entitled to expect more from PSG, even if Marco Verratti, positive for Covid-19 for the second time, and others were missing, while some players are not in an optimal state of form , like Neymar.

"I am disappointed with the result and the performance," Poche admits.

I'm not worried (for the title), but we are in a situation which means that we will have to fight to the end. ”

If they no longer have their destiny in their hands, the Parisians are indeed far from being out of the race for the title, they who are three points behind Lille in the standings (66 against 63), with a difference goals largely to their advantage (+45 against +32).

And this while they have already yielded eight times this season in L1, including five losses at home.

"To jostle them, you had to have that face, and not that of the Coupe de France or against Nîmes"

Christophe galtier

“To jostle them, you had to have that face.

And not that of the Coupe de France or against Nîmes (defeat 1-2), analyzes the Lille coach, Christophe Galtier.

Then, it's a team that should be left as little space as possible.

I had carefully watched their good performance in Lyon.

We also had success, we need it in these matches.

There are important issues for PSG, the title but also the Champions League.

Did the players have their heads in the C1?

I don't know… ”One thing is certain: Paris will have to show something else on Wednesday, on the ground of Bayern Munich, in the quarterfinals of the Cup with big ears.

Which Bayern dominated Leipzig, his runner-up in the Bundesliga, on Saturday at the Red Bull Arena (0-1).

“We must not throw everything in the air.

We can still do beautiful things, swears the Parisian captain, Marquinhos, at the microphone of our colleagues from

Canal +

.

The next game is one of the most important of the season for us.

It will be necessary to be at 100%. "

Chick?

Even if it means “being less beautiful”, dixit Galtier, the Mastiffs were 100% on Saturday.

All together.

“The Losc is a big collective, a big block, underlines their midfielder Benjamin André.

It was mostly a tactical match, and we won it tactically. ”

A victory that counts double at this stage of the season.

And this even if there are still seven days and 21 points to be taken.

Enough to invite Lille, in search of a first coronation since the double of Eden Hazard and company in 2011, to be cautious.

"We are in the fight anyway," slips Galtier modestly.

"We are certainly the losers this weekend so let's make sure we are the winners over the next seven"

Rudi garcia

Rudi Garcia, he was even less willing to talk about the title on Saturday night.

And for good reason, “his” OL took only one point in Lens (1-1), fifth.

“When we are fourth, we will keep the humility not to talk about the title,” plague the Rhone coach, whose team has a record of 61 points and is doubled by Monaco (62), wide winner of Metz ( 4-0).

"We are certainly the losers this weekend so let's make sure we are the winners over the next seven," adds Garcia, not failing to remind that Lyon will host Lille at the end of April and will move to the Principality at the beginning of May.

For its part, the PSG is done with the direct confrontations against the other members of the Top 4. Results?

Four points out of 12 possible (1 victory, 1 draw, 4 defeats).

Not shiny, nor worthy of a future champion.

But this season is what it is.

This Ligue 1 is what it is.

And since none of the four suitors seems willing to put the lid on, anything is possible.

READ ALSO

 - Lille, the master stroke 


READ ALSO

 - Neymar, stroke of blood and losing return

Enough to tell yourself that ASM can dream too?

"We can not yet talk about the title or the Champions League, corrects the Monegasque coach, Niko Kovac.

There are 21 points left to distribute, that's a lot.

We have to secure fourth place. ”

A fourth place that will inevitably have a bitter taste for those who will inherit it at the end of the season.

The chocolate medal will indeed be synonymous with access in the Europa League, and not in C1… For OL, not qualified in 2020-21 for the “Champions”, it would be a disaster.

For the PSG, which dreams only of European coronation, a cataclysm!

And for Lille, a terrible disillusion, knowing that Christophe Galtier's men have already spent 13 days in a leading position this season.

More than Paris (8), Lyon (3) and Monaco (0) in aggregate.

Moreover, 21 of the 26 clubs which posted a total of 66 points after 31 days in L1 were crowned at the end, and the 26 finished on the podium.

One thing is certain: we are not at the end of our surprises ...

What awaits Lille, Paris, Monaco and Lyon in Ligue 1

Ask for the program!

Seven days from the end of the championship, the suspense remains.

A glance at what awaits the four contenders for the title, with notably Lyon-Lille and Monaco-Lyon shocks on the menu.

Note that PSG is the only French club still competing in the European Cup, with a Champions League quarter-final to follow against Bayern (April 7 and 13).

Mauricio Pochettino's players are also in the Coupe de France race, after their victory over Losc in the round of 16 (3-0).

This match had been brought forward because of the C1.

To invite themselves in the quarterfinals in their turn, Monegasques and Lyonnais will have respectively to reject the Red Star (08/04) and Metz (06/04).

» 

READ ALSO

 - Ligue 1: schedule and results

Lille calendar

 : in Metz, against Montpellier,

in Lyon

, against Nice, in Lens, against ASSE, in Angers.


PSG calendar

 : in Strasbourg, against ASSE, in Metz, against Lens, in Rennes, against Reims, in Brest.


Monaco calendar

 : against Dijon, in Bordeaux, in Angers,

against Lyon

, in Reims, against Rennes, in Lens.


Lyon calendar 

: against Angers, in Nantes,

against Lille

,

in Monaco

, against Lorient, in Nîmes, against Nice.

Read also

  • League 1 standings

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2021-04-04

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