Buxton: PSG gets role reversal as cash-rich clubs seek final berth

In the blink of an eye, Paris Saint-Germain have become football's unlikely good guys.

Until last week, they were widely considered to be its arch enemy. No amount of charm offensive by their Qatari overlords could possibly remove that indelible stigma.

They were destined to be the game's unlovable outliers, yet currently hold the balance of power - and all it took was the ill-conceived idea of a European Super League (ESL).

SEMI-FINAL, 1ST LEG

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

MAN CITY

While 12 of the continent's big hitters allowed greed to get the better of them, PSG were able to manoeuvre themselves into a position of key influence at the highest level.

Beyond publicly rejecting the controversial breakaway, their president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has replaced Andrea Agnelli as head of the European Club Association, formerly Uefa's greatest opponent in maintaining both the Champions League's prestige and status quo.

 

Les Parisiens themselves must wonder how they ended up on the right side of history.

That they are deemed to be the least of four evils ahead of their Champions League semi-final, first-leg showdown with Manchester City tomorrow morning (Singapore time) underlines how heavily the ESL's shameless power grab has disturbed the footballing forces.

Mauricio Pochettino's side now assume moral superiority, nearly in the same way that a myriad of James Bond villains would be hailed as the heroes of the hour, instead of 007 himself.

Neutrals already struggled to warm to City's quest for a treble long before they were persuaded to join their top-flight peers in pursuing the shambolic Super League.

Going along with their five English ESL counterparts - who had lobbied for City's original Champions League ban to be upheld barely 12 months ago - points to a selective memory when most fans at the Etihad Stadium still understandably bear that grudge.

PSG, however, are hardly the paragons of virtue they are happily being painted out to be.

Far from it, in fact.

Whichever team progresses to the showpiece of Europe's elite club competition, it will not be a victory for the good of the game, merely a vindication of their benefactors' faith.

Over 300km separates the owners of the English Premier League champions-elect and their Ligue 1 counterparts, but their competitive outlooks are closer than that geography.

Winning the Champions League is the one thing they crave above all else.

Eye-watering levels of resources have been devoted to chasing the acclaim which accompanies its glory, without any tangible reward, yet.

BIG SPENDERS

City's net spend over the last 10 transfer windows is the highest in Europe, while PSG have made the two most expensive transfers in football history.

Pep Guardiola, at least, can point to purism at the heart of his all-conquering charges.

The Catalan has cultivated a side which not only dominates matches but also does so with the principles passed down by the late, great Johan Cruyff.

After almost five years at the Etihad, Guardiola is testament more to those methods than spent or inherited wealth.

In 2019, his synonymy with Uefa's flagship tournament proved no match for Pochettino as Tottenham Hotspur dumped out a team en route to capturing successive EPL titles.

Uefa may have been prepared to see the back of City before the ESL plot rapidly, and comically, unravelled, but they also should be careful what they wish for.

PSG emerging as the game's new arbiters is a Trojan horse which nobody really wants.