Neymar injury: France World Cup winner ‘delighted’ PSG star is sidelined

Robin Bairner

• 8 Mar 2023 10:03 GMT
• 4 min read

PSG will be without Neymar for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, and while many might consider that to be a huge blow to Christophe Galtier’s side, there are others who believe that it is a blessing in disguise.

The 31-year-old has been ruled out for the rest of the season because he will undergo an operation on an ankle ligament after sustaining the problem against Lille recently. There are doubts as to whether he will play for the club again.

There is a working theory that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe work better together when Neymar is absent, and that has been underlined to some extend in the two games that the Brazilian has missed.

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Messi and Mbappe, for example, both shone as PSG won 3-0 away to Marseille in a game they had been tipped to struggle in, while the pair were each on the scoresheet in a 4-2 win over Nantes at the weekend.

Among those who believes PSG now stand a better chance of overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit is former Barcelona, Marseille and France striker Christophe Dugarry, who claims to be “delighted” that Neymar is sidelined.

“I’m delighted for PSG that Neymar is injured,” he told RMC. “It’s incredibly lucky for Christophe Galtier. At some point, he would have had to have had the courage to take Neymar out of the team, it’s the only solution.

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“This team is much better balanced with five defenders, with three midfielders and Mbappe and Messi up front. With a PSG that will play a little deeper and counterattack.

“This team is not capable of having control when the ball is lost, the front three don’t defend so they find themselves in danger and concede too many chance.”

PSG’s Neymar conundrum

Dugarry is finished with Neymar, who courted controversy after the first leg by playing poker and being spotted at a fast food restaurant after Mbappe told his PSG colleague’s that they must eat and sleep well to have hope of turning the tie around.

“I can’t watch him any more,” he said. “I can’t do it anymore. I find him unbearable in his dribbling, in his attitude. I don’t want to see him on the pitch anymore. It tires me.

“The problem is that there are not many players behind him. Hugo Ekitike shows for the moment that he’s not up to the level. The other offensive players are average. PSG are still trying to sort their squad, which is poorly balanced.”

Neymar has scored 118 goals for PSG in 173 matches after making a world-record €222 million move from Barcelona in 2017.