Since the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has clearly decided to be less demanding with PSG and seems to be gradually accepting the idea of no longer being a European giant.
Last season may have marked a turning point in PSG’s Qatari project. After spending colossal sums on the transfer market to afford the best stars in world football from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi, the Parisian club decided to change its method when it entrusted the reins of the club to Luis Enrique and Luis Campos. The two men were to lay the foundations of a new project, one that was less flashy and more collective.
The Spanish coach, with his playing ideas and his desire not to rely on a single player, and the Portuguese manager, thanks to his network, were to build a competitive and more united team. Because after having tried to pile up names to offer themselves the C1, without success, PSG hoped to succeed in another way. But after a year and a half, it is clear that the project already has its limits. This season, and for the first time in a very long time, PSG has never seemed so unfeared in Europe. With 4 points in 4 matches (including 3 at home) in the Champions League, Paris is struggling and the squad, with this absence of number 9, is perplexing.
Qatar much less invested
Enough to call into question the QSI project? Not really. French media L’Équipe reveals that on the Doha side, they observe the club’s situation with a certain distance “because the interest and the demands before the 2022 World Cup are no longer the same”. QSI wants to invest less in the club, even if it has dropped more than 550 million in two years (excluding sales). Proof of this new direction, a surprising elimination in January in the Champions League would not push Qatar to change its plans with Luis Enrique and the club’s new project.
The capital club justifies this choice by the desire to be in continuity, explaining that the instability of the past did not allow it to win this coveted Champions League either. Nasser al-Khelaifi’s speech has also changed since he also seems to be more tolerant. After this defeat against Atlético de Madrid, the president of PSG considered that the club was on the right track. The French daily explains that this speech confirms the desire to assume this European downgrading and to accept no longer being a giant of European football for a few years. But it is not sure that this will really please the Parisian supporters.
