"Don't Just Go Sign The Biggest Name And Hope To Win Champions League": Ex-Liverpool Star Questions PSG's Strategy

French giants Paris Saint-Germain stare at another early exit from the UEFA Champions League despite possessing one of the strongest attacks in Europe. Despite having the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe in the team, the Ligue 1 side is yet to wear the European Champions' crown. Former Liverpool and Manchester City star Mark Seagreaves, speaking of PSG's performance after their 0-1 defeat to Bayern Mich at home, has questioned the club's bosses over their strategy.

Seagreaves, in a chat with NDTV in a select media interaction set up by Sony Sports Network, didn't express confidence in PSG's strategy to sign the 'biggest name in the market' and hope to win the Champions League title by putting him in the team.

"When we talk about PSG, we talk about Neymar, Messi and Mbappe. As a team, they've got quality players but not the players to play week in week out at the highest level. Ligue 1 is not that great a league. The likes of PSG will be in contention to win that league every single year. When you look at Premier League, you see how many teams are in contention to win the league and it's a really competitive league. Bundesliga this year, has been really competitive. When that is the case, teams that are in such leagues will go deeper, in the Champions League which is equally as good as the world cup in terms of quality.

PSG have signed the likes of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi in the last few years but still haven't been able to go the distance in the Champions League.

"You need to have a strong team, squad, not just 3 or 4 superstars. I feel, with PSG, they might have to change a little bit. Not sign the biggest stars but build a team. Don't just go out and sign the biggest name, put him in the team and hope to win the Champions League. That's not gonna happen," he said.

Seagreaves was also asked about his views on Chelsea, a club that had an unparalleled transfer window, spending GBP 270 million on new players. But, the London-based club still continues to struggle under the guidance of Graham Potter. When asked if Potter was the right man to lead the Blues forward, his answer was in the affirmative.

"Yes. Absolutely. This is the problem for me at the moment. This guy has been in the job for 160 days. He has been given a 3-4 year contract. I know he has been given these players to work with but it can't happen overnight. Obviously, if you look at Potter here who is a young manager. He did well at his previous clubs, especially at Brighton and became the Chelsea manager. You've got to realise that Chelsea is a club that has fired the best managers in the world. Ancelloti has been fired, Mourinho, Tuchel have been fired too. Just give him time. Look back in history. Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the best managers. He nearly got the sack. Say, I made my debut for Bayern Munich, scoring four goals in four games. All of a sudden, my worth has gone 100 million, people saying this kid has got something, he has scored 4 goals in 4 games for Bayern Munich. That's not how football should be," he said.

Seagreaves asked for critics to have patience and not start judging people after such small periods of charge.

"Have a bit of reality. He's got these players in. Give him time and look at his record at the end of the season or the following season. He has come in with his own season, now think in the long term. If he or Chelsea are in the same position this time next season, you've got the right to say that he is not the right man. Just give him the chance," the Englishman added.

Watch the LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League – Liverpool vs Real Madrid on Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil and Telugu) channels at 1:30 am IST on 22nd February 2023.

Topics mentioned in this article

Paris Saint-Germain Chelsea UEFA Champions League Football