On the one hand, the architects of this PSG team should probably be commended for taking the time to step back and try to build a team instead of collecting players. Messi left, Neymar decamped for Saudi Arabia and PSG failed to find something brilliant to plug the holes, not in the team’s functioning, but in the fame and appeal that these players offered. PSG has become young. Four starters in yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle were 25 or younger and three others came off the bench. That doesn’t even include Warren Zaire-Emery, who is out until the new year due to injury.
That’s not to say there aren’t growing pains. A few more ugly ones.
The statistics indicate that PSG achieved 4.54 xG against Newcastle. Even if Kylian Mbappe’s penalty was subtracted, that’s over 3.5 xG. And yet, for most of the match, it felt like Newcastle were struggling to keep PSG at bay, watching them move the ball harmlessly from side to side, 5-10 yards out. outside the surface and vice versa. Only a final gust seemed dangerous.
And even then, PSG’s finish was comical. Substitute Bradley Barcola particularly had an acute case of not knowing which way up was:
But he wasn’t alone. Ousmane Dembélé managed six shots, only two of which were on target, and well. . .
It was PSG’s second consecutive Champions League performance with room temperature soda, which was thundered by AC Milan last time out. A Milan team that looked completely insipid against Dortmund yesterday, mind you.
This is probably the story of PSG, and what they accepted, taking a step back to build something better in the future. But while players like Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Kolo Muani, Ramos and others gain invaluable experience, Mbappe won’t wait for that experience to bear fruit. And as good a team as these young players might one day be, without Mbappe at the end of the stick, this is not the team that will win the club’s first European Cup that it so desperately craves. Watching a group of young people play football during Champions League matches will only open Mbappe’s road to Madrid.
PSG are still masters of their destiny and a victory in Dortmund in two weeks will allow them to qualify. The same will apply to a draw if Newcastle do not beat Milan. But that seems to be the ceiling of their ambition.
It was the right choice to try something new after a decade of trying to make a supergroup do well. It’s just funny that taking the right step will guarantee that this method will also be meaningless for the big prize.
Mark Cuban sells Mavs to Adelsons
Mark Cuban seems to have pulled off a real coup d’état in sell a majority stake from the Mavericks to Miriam Adelson for $3.5 billion while retaining operational control. Good gig if you can get it.
There is always an element of disgust in these kinds of transactions. The Adelsons aren’t exactly warm and cuddly and the NBA at least pretends to care about the character of the people who buy their franchises. This won’t be stopped, of course, because with franchise valuations skyrocketing and beyond, there is a small pool of people who can afford to pay them, and an even smaller pool of people who can pay these prices and which would pass the smell. test.
However, one wonders where the Adelsons are going with this. At $3.5 billion, how much more do they think will get a return on investment? That’s always the overall goal. The Mavs already have a newer building to play in. TV deals are going to look a lot different very soon, likely with the NBA taking over local broadcasts one day soon. What will increase the value of the franchise from here?
The Adelsons know more than you or me, certainly. However, I can’t help but wonder how far this road goes. Will they pick up Dallas for a new arena soon? Hell, the Texas Rangers did it when their stadium turned 30 years old. The American Airlines Center is at 10 p.m. And certainly no one would cry if it ended up being something they took a bath on, I imagine.
Follow Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @Felsgate.bsky.social
