During the After Foot show following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle in the Champions League, Daniel Riolo launched a scathing attack on Paris Saint-Germain, suggesting that their European success had numbed all criticism. This radical interpretation, however, overlooks the context of a full season and a club that is more in a state of adjustment than in freefall.
Riolo: “PSG’s Champions League success has emptied our brains of all possible criticism.”
“PSG’s Champions League success has emptied our brains of all possible criticism. We were in a kind of blissful, boundless admiration. For a long time, we forgot that there had been a turning point last season against Manchester City. We were caught up in a narrative where Luis Enrique had planned everything; we wrote a fable, a legend… But those with a bit of memory remember the difficulties against Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, without focusing solely on Inter Milan.” And then there was the Club World Cup where you ended up below Bayern and Chelsea. Then there was the European Super Cup where you finished below Tottenham. And during the current Champions League campaign, you’re below Bayern.
Riolo: “I think the slate has been wiped clean.”
So, it’s piling up… I think the slate has been wiped clean. We’re going to have to show them again. We need to wake up. This Wednesday, we came crashing down to earth. The party’s over and we’re going to have to get back to work because things aren’t going well. We look at the team lineups and we criticize. Ruiz was less effective, Barcola is still mediocre in front of goal, Kvaratskhelia isn’t at the same level as last season, we haven’t seen the Dembélé of last year since the Ballon d’Or… “
Daniel Riolo’s observation isn’t without merit, but it’s an overstatement. Yes, PSG isn’t progressing with the same fluidity as during its European peak. Yes, some key players are going through a rough patch: Fabián Ruiz (29), Bradley Barcola (23), and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (24) haven’t yet rediscovered their optimal form, and Ousmane Dembélé (28) isn’t at the level of consistency he showed last season.
But reducing this phase to a mere “end of the party” is a biased interpretation, almost a common one when Paris falters. Under Luis Enrique (55), PSG isn’t starting from scratch: it maintains a playing style, a collective commitment, and a history of playing at the highest level. After a long and emotionally intense season, this adjustment was expected. Confusing recovery with regression remains a classic mistake.”
