Paris Saint-Germain’s season has taken a major blow with the announcement that Neymar will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right ankle. The Brazilian striker was injured during PSG’s match against Lille on 19 February and is expected to be out for three to four months. The French media has since been debating whether the news is good or bad for PSG.
Kevin Diaz, a pundit for RMC’s After programme, believes Neymar’s absence is not good news for the Parisian side. He says it is a mistake to see this situation as “a good thing” for PSG and coach Christophe Galtier’s tactical system.
This comes following comments from Christophe Dugarry on Rothen s’enflamme on RMC have suggested that Neymar’s absence may not be detrimental to the team. Dugarry said: “I think it’s an incredible opportunity for Christophe Galtier. At some point, he had to have the courage to take Neymar out of the team, and that was the only solution. This team is much more balanced with five defenders, three midfielders and Mbappe-Messi in attack.”
Diaz responded to Dugerry’s comments, “Basically I don’t completely disagree, but the biggest problem and the bad news is that at PSG we come to be happy that a player like Neymar is absent. Normally, a player like Neymar, you can’t be happy that he is absent. He is one of the 10 best players in the world.”