Betfair Ambassador Rivaldo predicts Mauricio Pochettino will leave PSG before long, hails Kylian Mbappe as a future Ballon d’Or winner and worries that Neymar is lacking sharpness…
With PSG out of the Coupe de France, and with Ligue 1 title all but sealed, I expect the club will start preparing for next season. That should mean saying goodbye to Pochettino…
PSG have failed once again in their quest to win the Champions League, after being beaten by Real Madrid on Wednesday, and the club’s directors will have to think seriously about the club’s future.
Pochettino is good fit for United
Of course, coach Mauricio Pochettino is under fire after failing for the second season in a row and, in situations like this, the buck always stops with the manager.
With PSG out of the Coupe de France, and with Ligue 1 title all but sealed, I expect the club will start preparing for next season. That should mean saying goodbye to the Argentinian manager – immediately or at the end of season – since it will be almost impossible to keep him after repeated failures.
Manchester United have been strongly linked with Pochettino and, with Red Devils current manager Ralf Rangnick leaving his spot at the end of the season, he could have a good job to take up.
Classy Madrid punished PSG
Losing a two-goal advantage in the final 45 minutes against Madrid was certainly very frustrating for PSG. The French club even had chances to finish the tie with a second goal. In the end, they paid a big price for their individual mistakes.
In these kinds of big matches any mistake could be crucial and that’s what happened with Real Madrid’s Champions League pedigree coming to the fore at the right time.
This is not the same Real Madrid that won so many CL titles, but they remain a top team that punishes opponents’ mistakes, especially with Vini Jr and Karim Benzema up front.
Mbappe is a fantastic player
Despite the elimination, Mbappe scored twice against Real Madrid across the tie and created a ton of problems for their defence, showing he’s one of the most talented players in the world.
I have no doubt that he will be a Ballon D’or winner soon, despite probably having to wait for at least one more year to achieve it after being knocked out of Champions League.
He has amazing skills: speed, excellent ability with the ball, good finishing skills and a strong personality. He’s still very young and I love to see him playing.
Jesus’s lack of game time is concern for Tite
Gabriel Jesus was a starter for Man City against Sporting in the Champions League and played well, but he’s only started once this year in the Premier League.
As we know, the former Palmeiras forward has performed an important role for the Brazilian national team in the last few years. But Tite might be worried that Jesus is not being picked by Pep Guardiola very often.
It’s never nice for an international coach to see one of his preferred players being dropped so often at his club. It can lead to a lack of rhythm later in the season or even in the warmup for World Cup.
I hope Gabriel Jesus manages to regain his place in Guardiola’s team in order to be ready for Qatar.
Neymar is struggling while Vini is flying
Neymar is struggling for rhythm after dealing with a spate injuries. He’s had no time to get back to full fitness yet. That was clear in the second half against Madrid when he started having difficulties holding the ball or making the difference.
Vini Jr was the opposite since he didn’t start well in the first half for Madrid, but then was crucial in their comeback, helping to destroy PSG’s defence.
He is playing regularly and in good shape and that’s very important in football as it allows you to be totally up to the task for 90 minutes when you face your biggest rivals
Source: Betfair Spanish La Liga
