Coming right after the club’s ignominious exit from the Champions League in the last 16 at the hands of Real Madrid, PSG’s shambolic display at the Stade Louis II won’t in any way stem the rising tide of wrath of fans who have been clamoring for sporting director Leonardo and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to leave.
The weekend’s 3-0 loss is no doubt the heaviest defeat Parc des Princes giants have suffered in the French top flight since being demolished 5-1 at Lille in April 2019.
“It’s catastrophic,” club captain Marquinhos said.
“It’s our worst game of the year … We need to do better than today, we need the right mentality, otherwise even in Ligue 1 we are going to lose this title.”
This was Monaco’s biggest league win against PSG since a 3-0 victory at the Parc des Princes in 1999, according to Ligue 1 statistics.
There are only nine matches left to play with PSG still enjoying a 12-point lead at the top, remaining right on course to equal Saint-Etienne’s record of 10 French league titles while Monaco eased their way up to seventh.
Having lost Lionel Messi to flu, the visitors were also without Sergio Ramos, Angel di Maria, Juan Bernat, Layvin Kurzawa and Ander Herrera.
Despite enjoying plenty of possession PSG were largely ineffectual in attack and the hosts sprang into action and took the lead on 25 minutes after France forward Wissam Ben Yedder netted with a subtle flick with the outside of his foot.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was then foiled by substitute Kevin Volland from close range in the 68th and Ben Yedder sealed the deal to make it 3-0 from the penalty spot following Presnel Kimpembe’s reckless tackle on Volland with six minutes remaining.
In no uncertain terms, the runaway Ligue 1 leaders were torn to shreds by Philippe Clement’s clearly superior side in a humbling 3-0 loss at the Stade Louis II.
Speaking to the press after the defeat, Pochettino has blasted his players for their clear lack of “fighting spirit”.
“It’s unacceptable to start a game like that. After that, it was a disgrace in sporting terms.
“Now it’s time to move on, get over the frustration of the Champions League and think about giving our best while having a competitive attitude. I don’t want to look for excuses.
“The first half was unacceptable. We had no fighting spirit. The way we played is not acceptable. This can’t happen. We can’t have this kind of attitude. It is unacceptable to start the game in this way. Respect for the club and our fans is fundamental. The important thing is to find solutions.
“Behaviour must be more collective than individual. We have moved away from that. We have to think collectively.”
The Parisian capital club’s lead in Ligue 1 has now been cut to 12 points after Marseille’s 2-1 victory over Nice later on Sunday.