PSG unable to match ´absolutely disciplined´ Madrid, says Sagnol

Paris Saint-Germain are still missing something intangible and played like a “collection of individualists” as they exited the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, according to Willy Sagnol.

PSG gave up the lead to lose the first leg of their round-of-16 tie 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last month.

And they went down 2-1 at home in the return fixture on Tuesday, bowing out in the first knockout stage for the second season in succession.

“Real presented themselves as a team in the second leg, Paris did not,” former France international Sagnol told Kicker.

“PSG was just a collection of individualists, while Real acted as an absolutely disciplined team.”

The Ligue 1 leaders were missing the injured Neymar at Parc des Princes, the Brazil international having suffered a broken metatarsal.

And Sagnol does not feel the remaining players can be blamed for feeling the absence of the former Barcelona man.

“In a sense, a team is naturally dependent on such an exceptional player,” he said.

Sagnol also questioned the elevation of Dani Alves to a leadership role, the veteran having only arrived in the French capital from Juventus in July.

“If Dani Alves belongs to the players’ council… that’s too much responsibility for him, not on the pitch, but in the group,” he said.

“It means that something is missing, a [naturally] grown hierarchy, continuity.

“This club is young and suddenly has a lot of money, and just wants to lose no time, but skipped a few steps on the way up.”

It remains to be seen how PSG’s Qatari owners will respond to their latest European disappointment, although Sagnol cautioned the club against increasing their transfer expenditure. 

He said: “Money certainly does not matter, Chelsea took 10 years before the many [Roman] Abramovich millions brought great success in Europe in 2012.

“As a fan, I think the project is great. [We] 50 per cent love, 50 per cent hate PSG, and when you have such top players, you always experience pros and cons, often out of jealousy.”