Crossroads for Paris Saint-Germain after coming up short in Champions League quest

Defeat to Bayern in Lisbon final highlighted weaknesses in French champions' squad but also the need to avoid quick-fix culture

Soccer Football - Champions League - Final - Bayern Munich v Paris St Germain - Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal - August 23, 2020 Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman scores their first goal, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Manu Fernandez/Pool via REUTERSShow less

At least, Thilo Kehrer may reflect, it is unlikely to be remembered as ‘the Thilo Kehrer final’ in his homeland.

It may be the benefit of losing a Champions League final to Bayern Munich. But the German right-back might have conceded a penalty for a first-half challenge on Kingsley Coman.

He was outjumped when the Parisian headed the only goal against Paris Saint-Germain. Hansi Flick had sprung a surprise by preferring Coman to the in-form Ivan Perisic. The sense was that it was to target Kehrer. If so, it worked.

That is not to scapegoat Kehrer. He was symptom as much as cause of defeat. PSG have underfunded other departments of the team after spending around €400 million (Dh 1.74 billion) on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Some of their free transfers, such as Ander Herrera and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, have proved astute recruits but this was a triumph for Bayern’s more balanced business model.

In such circumstances, comparisons can be unflattering. Maybe Thomas Meunier would have done better, but he has already joined Borussia Dortmund after failing to agree a new deal with PSG.

In a game of two right-backs, Kehrer’s Bayern counterpart was Joshua Kimmich, who set up Coman’s winner, and who doubles up as one of the world’s finest midfielders.

Albeit partly because of injury, France’s World Cup-winning right-back, Benjamin Pavard, was on the Bayern bench. They had enviable options.

It meant that perhaps the most pertinent comment Thomas Tuchel made afterwards was: “We have to make the squad wider.” It is about allying more quality with more quantity.

The PSG way has been to pursue celebrities, but Tuchel’s was not a call for another Galactico.

He laughed at suggestions of signing Lionel Messi, but they underline fundamental questions about the club’s identity. Are they a star vehicle or a team?

As Tuchel pointed out, the club record signing Edinson Cavani has left and the captain and defensive cornerstone Thiago Silva will follow.

PSG require several signings, which means a budget being divided multiple ways and being used intelligently. It entails unglamorous signings. They may note that the record signing of the last two Champions League winners, Liverpool and Bayern, is a defender.

Now few, if any, of Tuchel’s defenders or midfielders would get in the Bayern side. That may need to change if they are to become the best team in Europe.

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PSG v Bayern player ratings

PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas - 7: Made a smart save from a close-range Lewandowski header, and clung on to a powerful drive by Gnabry, but had no chance with Coman’s winner. Reuters

Thilo Kehrer - 5: Had his work cut out against the pace of Davies and Coman. Initially seemed up for the battle, but they eventually exposed him. Reuters

Thiago Silva - 7: Could not have given much more in what might have been his final game for PSG, and kept his side in it with a goalline clearance. AFP

Presnel Kimpembe - 8: Made the most of his chance to boot a clearance hard at Lewandowski, and marshalled the dangerman well throughout. Made a brave header to save a certain goal. AFP

Juan Bernat - 7: Looked exhausted when he gave way to injury with 10 minutes left, having done all he could to prove his point to his old club. AFP

Ander Herrera - 7: Might have been more selfish when he set up Mbappe for a shot in the first half. Tireless in defending, but withdrawn as PSG chased the game. AFP

Marquinhos - 7: Showed his best form once PSG had gone behind, and was only denied an equaliser by the outstretched leg of Neuer. EPA

Leandro Paredes - 7: Up for the battle, but threatened to lose his poise when Gnabry fouled Neymar. AP

Angel Di Maria - 5: Nowhere near the stellar influence of his semi-final masterclass, and he wasted a good shooting chance in the first half. EPA

Neymar - 6: Ended the game in tears as his side fell short. On the receiving end of some robust tackles, and was not able to impact the game in the danger zones. AFP

Kylian Mbappe - 6: Passed up a golden opportunity when he shot straight at Neuer in the first half, and still did not look a peak sharpness, despite one searing break in the second phase. EPA

SUBS: Marco Verratti - (On for Paredes 65') 6: It said much about the state of play at the time that a player with such a chequered disciplinary was brought on to calm PSG as they chased the game. AFP

Julian Draxler - (On for Herrera 72') 5: The German forward had no discernible effect after being introduced. Reuters

Layvin Kurzawa - (On for Bernat 80') NA. Just enough time to get booked during a fraught end. Reuters

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - (On for Di María 80') NA: A rushed substitution for Di Maria when PSG had their final chance to make a change. He was found wanting as two vital late chances fell his way. AFP

BAYERN MUNICH RATINGS: Manuel Neuer - 8: So assured despite the high stakes. Made an important double save from Neymar early on, and was impassable thereafter. AP

Joshua Kimmich - 8: Picked out Coman with a sumptuous cross for the winner. Strong in defence with some important blocks on Mbappe. AFP

Jerome Boateng - 6: Substituted early in the semi-final, and limped off after a rapid PSG break in the 25th minute of the final, too. Getty

David Alaba - 7: PSG went without a goal in the Champions League for the first time since 2016. That was thanks to a fine defensive effort all over the pitch by Bayern, not least at centre back. EPA

Alphonso Davies - 8: Trod a fine line after being booked for a foul on Kehrer during a nervy start, but had the perfect ending to his extraordinary breakout season. Reuters

Thiago Alcantara - 9: On the few occasions Bayern looked pressured, they looked for Alcantara and he passed them out of trouble. AP

Leon Goretzka - 8: Meted out some tough treatment to PSG’s flair players, and was a vital cog in the German champions’ pressing game. Getty

Serge Gnabry - 6: Not the impact of the two knockout matches in Portugal, and was yellow carded during a heated exchange with Neymar. AP

Thomas Muller - 8: A bundle of energy as he led the pressing early on, then found space in his trademark style in attack as the game wore on. AFP

Kingsley Coman - 8: The only change to the Bayern XI from the semi-final was bringing Coman in for Perisic, and he netted a fairy tale goal against his one-time employers. Could have had a penalty, too. Getty

Robert Lewandowski - 7: Unusually, he went without a goal. He hit the post with his first shot, with Navas beaten, but otherwise got no change from Kimpembe. Getty

SUBS: Niklas Suele - (On for Boateng 25') 7: Came on for his 100th appearance for Bayern when Boateng was injured. He was booked for an unnecessary foul on Di Maria, but did the job he was paid to do in blunting PSG. AFP

Philippe Coutinho - (On for Gnabry 68') 6: A Champions League winner while on loan from Barcelona – which could prove a costly move for the beleaguered Catalan club. Reuters

Ivan Perisic - (On for Coman 68') 7: The decision to replace him with Coman in the starting XI proved to be the right one, but he did a fine job when he replaced the young Frenchman in the second half. EPA

Corentin Tolisso - (On for Thiago Alcantar 86') NA. Made himself as busy as he could in the small time he was afforded at the end of the game. AFP

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It is about mentality as well as personnel, but that attitude needs to come from the top.

Tuchel stands for collectivism, and he has got Neymar working harder; Ligue 1 opponents can be eviscerated if the forwards neglect their defensive duties, but not the European elite.

Tuchel stands for continuity, too, and predecessors such as Laurent Blanc and Unai Emery have been doomed by Champions League defeats. Tuchel has taken PSG further in Europe than anyone else, but the double Champions League finalist Massimiliano Allegri has been linked with his job.

A quick-fix culture can lead clubs to assume one signing or one managerial appointment will solve everything. As their past proves, it rarely does.

They can also study the lessons of the last two Champions League finals. Losing can be a springboard or a plummet into decline.

Tottenham lost 7-2 to Bayern and will not even be in next season's Champions League, even if PSG's dominant position in France suggests they will not suffer the same fate.

Liverpool bolstered their defence and midfield in 2018 and went one better by becoming Champions League winners in 2019.

Tuchel followed Jurgen Klopp to Mainz and Dortmund and must hope to emulate him again. And yet the bigger decisions about the direction of the club will be taken by those above him.