Is PSG unmanageable?

Sometime later this week Christophe Galtier may become the new manager of PSG. 

On the face of it the job should be one of the most attractive in world football.

The previous incumbent, Mauricio Pochettino earned €1.1 million gross a month, making him by some distance the best paid coach in Ligue 1.

Despite that, though, the job has become something of a poisoned chalice, and Zinedine Zidane has turned down the opportunity to succeed Pochettino. Whilst the French legend insists that he still has plenty of things that he wants to in football, managing the Paris club does not appear to be among them.

Nor was Galtier necessarily the next best option. It is reported that approaches were made to several other top coaches, including Massimiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, but all decided that the reputational risk involved was just too great.

Other names have seen their odds of getting the job feature in sites like Bet 365 alternative links in the past few weeks.

It is not, after all, as if some of the world’s best have not tried and failed in the past.

In the last ten years alone, Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, and Thomas Tuchel have all had spells in charge of the Paris club.

Noe can remotely be described as managerial failures. 

Emery won three successive UEFA league titles with Sevilla and then did it again with unfancied Villareal. 

Meanwhile, less than  six months after being released by PSG, Tuchel was leading Chelsea to Champions League glory.

As for Ancelotti his CV includes  a Serie A title, Coppa Italia, and two Champions League wins with AC Milan, a premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, a Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and, recently, La Liga and Champions League with Real Madrid.

Nor was their time in Paris without honours. Ancelotti won Ligue 1 during his time there, Emery won a domestic treble, as did Tuchel.

The issue is that is not good enough for the Qatari owners that bankroll the club. With their superior resources they expect to dominate French football,. The only success they really care about is the Champions League. That is the yardstick that matters. 

And there have been some historic failures in that competition. Emery’s career at PSG was a good as finished when his team were knocked out in the round of 16 by Barcelona, despite taking a  4 – 0 lead from the first leg to Spain. Two years later then beat Manchester United away, but were knocked out on the away goals in the French capital.

And Pochettino’s time at the club was effectively up the moment Real Madrid came back from an aggregate two goal deficit with three goals in the last 15 minutes. 

Tuchel at least did take them to the final, but they lost by a single goal to Bayern Munich. 

Add to the burden of expectation is managing a dressing room packed full of superstars. Neymar, Sergio Ramos, and Lionel Messi all have achieved more in the game than most managers will ever achieve, are as wealthy as Croesus, and are not susceptible to being told what to do by lesser mortals.

And then there is Kylian Mbappé, whose new contract extension allegedly gives him significant say in that goes on at the club, including a voice as to who is manager and who should be bought and sold.

If Galtier is to take over, then he should know that the odds of him succeeding and having any longevity in the role are stacked against him.

Once the Champions League reaches the sharp end of the competition next spring and they are once again knocked out early, the hunt will be on again for his successor.