"Didnt deserve to win" - Pochettino rues PSG failure to create chances in 1-0 Nice defeat
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino expressed his frustration after his team's defeat to Nice on Saturday in Ligue 1. They suffered a second league reverse in three games as Nice climbed to second place in the league table.
Despite dominating possession, the Parisians struggled to conjure clear-cut goalscoring opportunities against Nice. Pochettino's side registered just two shots on target all game, while Nice had six.
The Ligue 1 leaders were made to rue their lacklustre performance, as Andy Delort scored the winner two minutes from time. Pochettino was highly critical of his side's performance after the game. The Argentine rued his team's failure to create chances, and felt they didn't deserve to win the game.
He said, as quoted by RMC Sport (via GetfootballNewsFrance.com):
"We dominated a fair bit, but we didn't create a lot of chances for ourselves. We were forcing them to defend deep, and they scored in the last few minutes, that's the way football goes. We didn't deserve to win, but maybe not to lose either."
The Argentine continued:
"We didn't find any solutions in the last 20 metres, that was the issue. But we have to turn to the next game, in Madrid. We're disappointed to lose but these are two different competitions."
Despite their 1-0 defeat to Nice, PSG have a massive 13-point lead over Christophe Galtier's side in the Ligue 1 standings.
The Parisians next face La Liga leaders Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. The French giants have a 1-0 aggregate lead, after prevailing at the Parc des Princes three weeks ago.
FT: OGC Nice 1-0 PSG.
A horrible performance from PSG and a deserved defeat. They will face Real Madrid next. https://t.co/fsOgm97lYc
PSG's overreliance on Kylian Mbappe could be their undoing
Kylian Mbappe missed PSG's game against Nice on Saturday due to suspension. The league leaders sorely missed the Frenchman, and were unable to cause any problems to Nice.
Mbappe has been PSG's talisman this season. The 23-year-old has scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists in 34 appearances across competitions.
Neymar's 2021-22 campaign has been ravaged by injuries. The Brazilian returned to action towards the end of February after an absence of almost two months due to an ankle injury. He has made just 13 appearances across competitions this season. The Brazilian has struggled for form on his return, and has looked off the pace.
For the first time in his career, Kylian Mbappรฉ has scored 10+ goals and provided 10+ assists in a single league season:
โ 24 games
โ 14 goals
โ 10 assists
Achievement unlocked: Double-Double. ๐ https://t.co/y3l4xD9f1U
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, has shown signs of returning to his best since the turn of the year. He has provided 11 assists in 24 Ligue appearances this season. The Argentine has managed only just two goals in the league this season.
PSG have been heavily dependent on Kylian Mbappe, which could be their undoing, especially in Europe. It remains to be seen if they can beat Real Madrid and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.