"We must not throw everything away" - Leonardo believes Pochettino is still part of the project despite PSG's capitulation against Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) suffered a 3-1 capitulation at the hands of Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash yesterday.
The result meant that Mauricio Pochettino's men lost 3-2 on aggregate after winning the first leg 1-0 in Paris. Expectedly, the knives were out for coach Mauricio Pochettino, calling for him to be sacked. However, the club's sporting director Leonardo has backed the tactician to continue with the project as quoted by RMCSport:
"We really have to tell each other everything about what is going on has passed," the Brazilian said after the game.
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"But we must not throw everything away and put everything in the trash. We must not start all over again from scratch with each defeat. The objective is to win the CL, and until half-time of this match, we were good.
"We must stay together. Pochettino is still in the project for this season. This is not the time to think to that," he added.
It was indeed a disappointing outcome for PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday. The Parisians entered the game on the front foot, taking the lead via a Kylian Mbappe strike in 39th minute. They went into halftime with a 2-0 aggregate lead and looked set to qualify for the quarterfinals.
However, things quickly changed in the second half after Gianluigi Donnaruma made a costly mistake that allowed Karim Benzema to score Real Madrid's first goal and keep the tie alive.
What followed was a period of masterful finishing coupled with an unflailing desire to win. Benzema scored two more goals in two minutes to help Los Blancos lead the overall tie 3-2. He struck a hat-trick against one of the best teams in Europe in a mere 17 minutes.
Leonardo couldn't help but rue his side's unfortunate decline.
"It's a blow. We can't bury everything that has been done. It's difficult to analyze," the PSG sporting director said.
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@PSG_English 
@KMbappe 39' 
Tonight @PSG_English are eliminated from the @ChampionsLeague.
@realmadriden 3⃣ - 1⃣ @PSG_English
⚽️ @KMbappe 39'
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"The episode of the foul on Donnarumma was decisive, but we had difficulty managing this moment. We lost control. We have to look for solutions.
"Afterwards, it's a shame that an arbitration decision is decisive in this kind of moment. But we have to keep our calm. We made mistakes, we have to change things, but we don't have to review everything."
What's next for PSG and Real Madrid?
Following another disappointing European campaign, the Parisians will return to Ligue 1 to fight for the title this season. They currently lead the table with 62 points from 27 games, 13 points ahead of second-placed Nice and will face Bordeaux in their next game this weekend.
Los Blancos, however, will be waiting to find their next opponents for the quarterfinals of the Champions League when the draw is held later this month. In the meantime, they'll turn their focus to Mallorca and Barcelona in their next two La Liga fixtures. They also sit at the summit of La Liga, eight points ahead of second-placed Sevilla.