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Inside PSG's Champions League nightmare: Angry players question 'underwhelming subs', Christophe Galtier edges towards the sack and doubts emerge over Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar

Thomas Hindle
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PSG are in a vulnerable position following their 3-0 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16

Every PSG team is expected to win the Champions League. None have done so.

The club have poured billions into piecing together competitive squads with enough star power to outshine the rest of Europe. They have backed up those names - Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi - with the kind of complimentary pieces to theoretically allow them to shine.

And for the last 10 years, the club has failed to make any serious noise on the European stage.

Such was the case last night, as PSG crashed out of the Champions League with an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

In the less than 24 hours since, an unsteady club has been rocked by player discontent, manager uncertainty and scathing comments from French national team legends.

According to reports from Mail Online, it could all go very wrong, very quickly. Manager Christophe Galtier appears to be on his way out, while sporting director Luis Campos looks set to follow. The squad, highlighted by its three big stars, will also likely be shaken up.

The club is likely to look entirely different by August. Here's a look inside PSG's post-Bayern chaos.

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  1. An unsteady dressing room
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    An unsteady dressing room

    Following the loss, the senior players in the squad were angry. Galtier's substitutions had been questionable, with the manager refusing to introduce any attacking talent despite the Parisians facing an aggregate deficit. In lieu of promising striker Hugo Ekitike, he brought in teenage midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, who struggled to impact the game.

    Meanwhile, 17-year-old E.C. Bitshiabu was brought on at half time, while the more senior Juan Bernat was left on the bench. It all amounted to a PSG side that looked lacking in conviction and was entirely overrun by a more experienced Bayern.

    Everything was made worse by the fact that the Bavarians introduced Joao Cancelo, Sadio Mane, Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry to bolster their attack - a handful of veterans who put PSG away for good.

    Mbappe was brutally honest after full-time.

    "Bayern were a team built to win the Champions League," he said. "At the start of the season, I said we would do the maximum we could do. This is the maximum we could do."

  2. Galtier and Campos facing the sack
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    Galtier and Campos facing the sack

    The result also further threw the futures of Galtier and Campos into question.

    Galtier was already struggling. The manager has reduced PSG into a counter-attacking team, relying on a series of diligent workmanlike midfielders to provide a base for Mbappe and Messi to hit on the break. And it hasn't always worked. PSG have underwhelmed in the league this season and were comfortably beaten in the Coupe de France by arch-rivals Marseille.

    And now, things are worse. Wednesday's contest was a chance for Galtier to prove that he could beat the biggest teams on the biggest of stages. Instead, his tactics crumbled, failing to get anything resembling a solid performance out of the squad Campos assembled.

    It now appears that Galtier and Campos are headed for the exit - regardless of whether PSG win Ligue 1.

  4. An uncertain future for the stars
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    An uncertain future for the stars

    This was always going to be a pivotal year for Mbappe's future. It is no secret that the winger, although under contract for at least one more year, could eye a move if he feels unhappy at the Parc des Princes.

    But this campaign was supposed to push that plan back. Instead, he now looks more likely to go than ever. The France star can now opt to leave at the end of the 2024 season, and could even request a move away this summer. He hasn't indicated that he would be willing to stay, and the Frenchman's public discontent with Neymar suggests a move is possible.

    And what of the other two? Messi is in talks to renew his contract, but none of the specifics have been addressed yet. Meanwhile, his father met with Barcelona president Joan Laporta last week, fueling speculation of a sensational Barcelona return.

    Meanwhile, Neymar needs surgery for his fourth ankle injury in as many years. He'll be sidelined for the rest of the season, and is being pushed towards a Premier League move, according to the Mail.

    Wednesday night's loss only made things worse. Now two of the three - or perhaps the whole trio - could leave.

  5. Legends question the vision
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    Legends question the vision

    Perhaps most damning of all, France legends have revived old concerns about the PSG project.

    Some fans felt alienated when Qatari billionaire Nasser Al-Khelaifi bought the club in 2011. The new owner swiftly went about buying some of the biggest talents in Europe and destroying the club ethos of promoting players from the talent-rich Paris area. And although domestic success and flashy signings such as Neymar and Mbappe put those fears on hold, complaints have since resurfaced.

    "What are you trying to achieve? I don't think the fans can relate to this team," Theirry Henry asked after the final whistle.

    David Ginola, who tallied 115 appearances for the club, went one further, criticising the players' effort.

    "There is a clear lack of commitment and investment by the players. There has been a problem for years," Ginola said. 'Individual talents alone are not enough to win."

    It's something the club will surely have to address going forward, as the manager and its star players could both depart this summer.