How PSG's dreary loss to Monaco underlines France's need for both clubs to improve

Sun, Mar 20, 2022
Soccer News (AP)

AS Monaco against Paris Saint-Germain in the principality has been one of Ligue 1's most prestigious matches over recent years with Les Monegasques one of the few clubs capable of denying Les Parisiens domestic glory, which they did in 2016-17.

However, Sunday's meeting between the two was the poorest iteration of their relatively recent rivalry given that PSG were 15 points clear at the Championnat summit and Monaco were outside of the European places.

Philippe Clement's Monaco ran out easy 3-0 victors against Mauricio Pochettino's shambolic outfit and the result breathes new life into continental hopes which have the Belgian tactician already at risk at Stade Louis II just months after replacing Niko Kovac.

Wissam Ben Yedder's goals in either half as well as Kevin Volland's second-half effort secured the points for the hosts, but the main talking point is not really the result nor the visitors' clear disinterest in their season after their latest UEFA Champions League capitulation.

The real topic of debate from a Ligue 1 point of view is how two of its biggest and most important clubs (with 17 titles between them) are both badly in need of repair after embarrassing respective exits from the European stage in recent weeks.

PSG's Champions League hopes spectacularly blew apart in the space of 30 minutes against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu not even a fortnight ago, while Thursday's 1-1 draw at home to SC Braga confirmed a 3-1 aggregate Europa League defeat for Monaco.

The Qatar-backed capital club's single-minded focus on continental soccer's top prize has been evident for years now, while Russian-owned Monaco briefly flirted with the idea of fighting financial fire with fire before economic reality hit home.

That ASM crashed out of the Europa League at the same stage as PSG did the Champions League is potentially equally as damaging for French soccer given that Olympique Lyonnais have been left to go it alone and will need to overcome West Ham United and potentially Barcelona to reach the final in the Europa League.

Olympique de Marseille were also in the Europa League but dropped out after the group stage and now stand a good chance of success in the Europa Conference League which would not be without merit for a country as precariously placed in the coefficients as France as UEFA's reforms loom.

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- AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) March 20, 2022

PSG will almost certainly sweep the decks clean and start again with a new head coach and sporting director, but Monaco have reportedly been considering doing the same despite Clement's recent arrival. It is just as vital that they get their next move right.

French soccer requires a healthy PSG and Monaco to remain competitive on the continent and while this result gives ASM a chance to do that, they still need to get their qualification over the line with strong competition from the likes of OGC Nice, RC Strasbourg Alsace and RC Lens.

Stade Rennais, Lille OSC and Lyon can be added to this debate given that they all started the campaign in Europe, but OL remain in the Europa League hunt and LOSC emerged from their Champions League group while Rennes topped their Europa Conference League group.

Whoever represents the French in UEFA competitions next term, they need to be equipped enough to achieve something and not just bomb out in the group stages as Marseille did in the Champions League last season -- especially given the one-off financial windfall due this summer.

The French Professional League (LFP) is on the verge of bringing a commercial subsidiary to life which will aim to bring more lucrative sums to the league via TV rights and other means in the long-term while wiping out COVID-19 and Mediapro-induced debt in the coming months.

This is an opportunity which clubs like Monaco must grab with both hands because the risk attached to such a move can only pay off if French clubs succeed enough in Europe to remain part of the top five in coefficient terms for when the reforms come into effect.

Should PSG's domestic rivals fall further behind their continental counterparts, the French game could irrevocably be consigned to a peripheral role which would even hinder the capital giants' standing within Europe.

In an ideal world, Lyon and Marseille will limit the damage by winning the Europa League and Europa Conference League titles in the coming months, but the chance of both of those happening are not favorable given OL's route to the Seville final -- OM are France's best hope for glory in Tirana.

So, while much is being made of PSG's post-Madrid malaise, the fact that Monaco are in their current predicament is equally damning and needs to be rectified between now and the end of this campaign as the moment when French soccer absolutely must take important steps is almost here.