Paris Saint-Germain lost to Liverpool in their Champions League opener on Tuesday, and in painful fashion, too — via a stoppage time goal by Roberto Firmino. Manager Thomas Tuchel might also be concerned about the lack of confidence displayed by his superstar, Neymar, who is also coming off of a mediocre World Cup.
OK, fine, let’s laugh at Neymar
The Brazil star is coming off a disappointing World Cup, and he had another tough day for PSG against Liverpool in the Champions League.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Thanks to the way he pushed out of Barcelona and his constant flopping, Neymar has become a bit of a punching bag for neutral fans. And Tuesday presented a great opportunity to clown him — so screw it, let’s clown the guy.
1. Geez, Mbappe just picked that right off his feet
Isn’t this just the perfect microcosm for THE NARRATIVE? Neymar makes a nice run, but gets the ball picked off his feet. Out of nowhere comes the boy wonder, Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup winner and best young player at that tournament, to steal his thunder and score. Is Neymar even the biggest star on this team anymore?
2. Dude got bullied by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez!
YIKES. Alexander-Arnold and Gomez are 19 and 21 years old respectively, and both were decisively second-choice when their more experienced teammates were healthy last season. Neymar dribbled past them zero times.
3. Mane wants you to know he’s on Neymar’s level
I recommend you watch this GIF loop for about three minutes, preferably with some background music. I recommend “Beware of the Boys” by Jay-Z and Panjabi MC.
4. Let’s watch the high angle LOLOLOLOLOL
HA! HA! SORRY THIS ISN’T A DIFFERENT POINT.
5. Here’s the thing, though: He’s still PSG’s best player
We’re clowning Neymar because we’re looking for reasons to do so, because he comes off as a crybaby someti— OK, a lot of the time. But he’s still Brazil’s best player. He’s still PSG’s best player. He’s really the only dude in a blue shirt who created anything for the team Tuesday night. Mbappe scored a goal, but did almost nothing else. Edinson Cavani was marked out of the game by Virgil van Dijk. PSG’s midfield was outplayed. And the defenders behind them — the most expensive in the world — made a lot of errors.
It’s easy to blame PSG’s struggles on Neymar, but he’s still the best thing they have going. And when they start winning games in Champions League, he’s likely to be the biggest reason why.
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