PSG are finished: former France international speaks out

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·2 March 2026

PSG are finished: former France international speaks out

Olivier Dacourt, former midfielder who notably played for AS Roma, Inter Milan, and the French national team (21 caps), spoke to Canal+ about the recent difficulties faced by Paris Saint-Germain, particularly in terms of efficiency, with even penalties not going in. According to him, the explanation is simple.

Dacourt: "At some point your brain short-circuits, you’re done."

"They are mentally drained, they’re done. Last year, PSG walked on water, but at every level. They didn’t have any injuries, but this year that’s not the case. The squad can’t have much rotation. They won everything, everything, everything! So inevitably, unconsciously, at some point mental fatigue sets in. Even if you want to do your best, at 150%, at some point your brain short-circuits, you’re done."

Dacourt: "I want to say that everything is fine."

How long have we been talking about the Champions League in Paris? They got it, they touched the Holy Grail. Coming back down, coming back to earth, it’s not easy. Teams that win the World Cup or the Euro, right after, there’s a period where it’s complicated because they’re coming down. They’re four points ahead in the league, they’re still in the Champions League, I want to say that everything is fine," said Dacourt, as reported by ParisTeam.

This was repeated before the start of the season, but many forget it when "analyzing" the matches, even though it keeps being said: the context is tough for the Parisians. They didn’t have a physical preparation last summer, not even a real vacation. This came after a historic season, both in terms of results and the string of matches.

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There are injuries that force some players to keep playing and that break the rhythm for those who end up in the infirmary. It’s hard to expect the highest level of collective performance over time. This affects efficiency, which partly relies on clarity of mind.

Dacourt also rightly points out something too often overlooked. Simply put, PSG is still having a pretty good season. Even without the context, it would be far from negative. But with the difficulties they’ve had to overcome, Paris is in a good position. And they very often dominate matches. In a less impressive way than at the end of last season, but it’s not dramatic.

It’s especially important to highlight that the Parisians remain in a good position, and a bit more efficiency, with a spark of confidence (which is lacking a bit according to coach Luis Enrique), could quickly bring the quality of their play back to the forefront.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.