Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League project 'looks like it's going to be a failure' after Bayern loss, says Joe Cole

Published 08/03/2023 at 23:04 GMT

Paris Saint-Germain limply exited the Champions League to Bayern Munich and their display was met with criticism by BT Sport's Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe barely had a sight of goal between them as a clinical Bayern side showed all their collective prowess. "They've gone backwards," was Hargreaves' verdict on Christophe Galtier's side.

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Paris Saint-Germain’s project to win the Champions League "ultimately looks like it's going to be a failure", believes Joe Cole.

PSG travelled to Germany for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Bayern Munich with hope, but it was the home side who prevailed, 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.

It was another disappointment for the French side who last summer brought in Christophe Galtier as manager, and sporting director Luis Campos to oversee transfers, but have still not cracked Europe’s premier tournament, despite Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe - amongst others - being in the squad.

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Speaking to BT Sport after the game, former Chelsea winger Cole suggested that PSG remain less than the sum of their parts, and pointed towards Bayern as the example to follow.

“The difference between Bayern and PSG is how the club’s run. You've all seen the stories about the superstars that have come in, the galacticos.

“There always seems to be trouble, you don’t hear that from Bayern Munich. They have difficult times but it’s kept in house, so when it comes to big moments, they show personality.

“Thomas Muller tonight, one of the best players of the last 15 years, he was on the fringes of the game in terms of technically, he didn’t do anything spectacular, but in crucial moments he got the press right, diligent with that, and when in the right position near the goal, he makes the right decision.

“Bayern is just a well-run, well-oiled machine.

“The Paris Saint-Germain project was built to win the Champions League, and they’ve been miles off it.

Lionel Messi

Image credit: Getty Images

"They’ve bought some of the best players of the last 20 years, and they look like...the young French players that are scattered around Europe, they could be doing what these lads are doing at a quarter of the cost, with an identity that the fans can connect with.

"I think the PSG project ultimately looks like it's going to be a failure.”

Owen Hargreaves, a two-time winner of the Champions League, added: "The better team won.

"They [PSG] have got so many brilliant individuals, but it's not a team. It's a shame, they've put so many fabulous players together.

"If anything they've gone backwards."

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