Adrien Rabiot: PSG Must 'Stand Up and Be Counted' vs. Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot has expressed his bitter disappointment following Wednesday night's 3-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League Last 16, blasting the team for failing to 'stand up and be counted' when it mattered most.
Some might even view Rabiot's comments as a swipe at €222m superstar Neymar in particular, after the Brazilian was consistently guilty of failing to back up flashy skill with genuine substance.
PSG are leading the French league and are among the most prolific goalscorers in Europe - Neymar has scored 28 times in 28 games in all competitions, while Edinson Cavani has also netted 28 - but the club has acquired a reputation for choking n Europe.
That was the case last season when they collapsed against Barcelona at this same stage of the competition, despite holding a 4-0 aggregate lead from the first leg and still being on course to progress on away goals at 5-5 until conceding in the 95th minute.
Rabiot, it seems, is sick of the experiencing the same feeling every year. Even adding the world's most expensive player to their ranks hasn't changed things.
"I am disappointed. We started by producing the match that we needed to. We always say the same things, we always do the same things, and in the end, we are always floored in the same way," the 22-year-old is quoted as saying in post-match comments.
"It's all well and good putting eight goals past Dijon, but it's in matches like this that you have to stand up and be counted," Rabiot added.
PSG beat Dijon 8-0 in mid-January and had scored three of more goals in five of their seven domestic games since then, prior to meeting Madrid.
Los Blancos now hold the advantage heading into the second leg of the tie at Parc des Princes next month, although the goal by Rabiot at the Bernabeu, which actually gave PSG the lead on the night, at leaves give the soon to be re-crowned French champions a glimmer of hope.
