War of egos weakens Cavani at Paris Saint-Germain
PARIS (AP) - With eight wins in as many matches this season, Paris Saint-Germain should be bursting with confidence ahead of Bayern Munich's visit next week in the Champions League.
A war of egos between the club's biggest stars, however, is tarnishing PSG's perfect start to the season, as well as the club's slick image that the Qatari owners want to promote in their ambition to build a great club in the French capital.
When Qatar Sports Investments splashed 222 million euros ($262 million) - double the previous world-record transfer of 105 million euros (then $116 million) - to acquire Neymar, the general mood at the club and in the French media was upbeat.
To sum it up, the Brazil striker was the player PSG needed in its quest for Champions League glory.
But some voices immediately rose, noting that Neymar's technical relationship with forward Edinson Cavani could be problematic, especially if the former Barcelona player was used in a central position. PSG coach Unai Emery, however, made the clever choice of keeping Cavani in a center-forward role, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe deployed on the wings.
PSG's new attacking trident was clinical in its first two matches, scoring 10 goals, but proved less efficient in a 2-0 win over Lyon last weekend at the Parc des Princes, where tensions between Cavani and Neymar were obvious.
The two argued over who should take a penalty kick that Cavani finally missed. The dispute happened just minutes after the Uruguay international had tried to take a free kick, but Neymar's good friend and Brazil teammate Dani Alves took the ball and gave it to the former Barcelona star.
Visibly angered, Cavani went back to the dressing room straight after the final whistle while his teammates celebrated on the field.
According to L'Equipe newspaper, a dressing room bust-up followed and the duo had to be separated by teammates.
For now, PSG seems to be willing to ease tensions between its stars.
"There needs to be a gentlemen's agreement between them when it comes to taking spot kicks," Emery said. "Apart from that, we will have to arrange things internally for when we get penalties because I believe that both are capable of converting them."
The altercation, however, spoke volumes about how fast Cavani is losing his influence in the team. After years in the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the long-haired forward finally got the chance to impose himself as a true leader last season. He did it in style, finishing as the French league's top scorer and netting 49 goals in 50 games across all competitions.
Neymar's arrival has taken the spotlight away from him, and the good relationship between the Brazil captain and Mbappe is making things ever more difficult for Cavani. In a team where five Brazilians are now playing together, Neymar is clearly the new boss and Cavani's days at the club might be numbered.
Speaking to an Uruguayan radio program, Cavani has nonetheless denied tensions exist between the pair.
"These things are created. The truth is that these are normal things, things that happen in football," he said. "The truth is that there's no problem."
L'Equipe reported that Dani Alves invited all his teammates to a reconciliation dinner on Wednesday, but it remains to be seen how long the new "MCN" trident of Mbappe, Cavani and Neymar will stay in place at PSG.