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By Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip)

Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League ambitions are over for another season after a 1-0 defeat away at Manchester City on Tuesday confirmed a 3-2 aggregate loss. 

For the fourth consecutive season, the French financial heavyweights are out at the quarterfinal stage and their latest exit was comfortably their most avoidable to date.

Les Parisiens’ aspiring Qatari owners, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), are now facing arguably the most crucial summer since their arrival at Parc des Princes with a number of changes needed if they are to break into European club football’s top four or better.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc must shoulder a large amount of the blame for the Ligue 1 champions’ premature exit from the competition. His decision to switch from the regular 4-3-3 formation to a 3-4-1-2 in the biggest fixture of the season was incomprehensible. Le President’s choice to bring Serge Aurier, who was a disaster in both legs, back in from the cold not only unsettled a previously solid defence but has also served to undermine authority that has taken him a considerable amount of time to build up.

Has Blanc shown his paymasters that he is incapable of taking this team past the quarterfinals? That is the question QSI will be asking themselves between now and the end of the campaign after the Frenchman’s unconvincing display at Etihad Stadium. Although the actual idea behind the system change made sense considering that Blaise Matuidi and David Luiz were suspended, Marco Verratti was unable to prove his fitness in time and Javier Pastore was only ready for a substitute role, Blanc’s timing in attempting such a manoeuvre was appalling.

To make such an unexpected alteration and expect the players to adapt to it and pose a vulnerable, albeit consistent, City side questions from the off was extremely naïve of the 50-year-old tactician. With names like Jose Mourinho and triumphant opposite number on Tuesday, Manuel Pellegrini, available this summer, is it time for PSG to make a change on the bench?

Having rewarded Blanc’s good work over the past few seasons with a two-year contract back in February, QSI arguably did everything they could to aid the team’s push for Champions League progress. The former France boss failed to capitalise on that and now could pay the penalty. While Blanc does deserve to be savaged for such an irresponsible tactical switch, some of the blame must be reserved for the players as many simply did not perform in either of the two legs. PSG’s contingent of ageing stars must come in for particular scrutiny. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a shadow of his usual self in both games, having a penalty saved and missing a fantastic one-on-one chance in the first leg, while Thiago Motta and Maxwell’s softening legs were made apparent against City. With a combined age of 103 years old, that trio needs to make way for younger blood in order for the French champions to regenerate.

It is not only age that should dictate that some players are no longer advancing the project in Paris though, there are some younger figures who are simply not living up to their exorbitant price tags regularly enough. Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria were also massive let downs in both City matches but they, more so the Uruguayan than the Argentinian, arguably still have something to offer the club because of their younger ages.

Lucas Moura, although he inexplicably did not start either game against Pellegrini’s men, also deserves to have his overall contribution towards the PSG project questioned as he has failed to truly convince since arriving in France back in January of 2013. However, while he has not justified the sky high expectations that greeted his big money arrival, it would also be fair to say that Lucas has never really been treated like an integral member of the starting XI under Blanc and perhaps needs that assurance to finally realise his immense potential.

Cavani, as frustrating as he has been since joining the capital club six months after the Brazilian, is a similar case. If Zlatan goes and El Matador is convinced that he is the main man in attack going forward, could he thrive once again and reproduce his predatory form from his Serie A days?

If QSI decide he cannot and that Lucas is not indispensable, both could fetch decent sums of money at the end of term. Although PSG’s defeat over two legs to City exposed a number of areas where Les Parisiens need rejuvenation, the second encounter demonstrated exactly why Marquinhos must be kept at Parc des Princes this summer.

After having his position changed mid-game on a number of occasions in Manchester, the Brazil international settled in and put in a solid performance despite the mayhem that surrounded him for the most part of the 90 minutes at Etihad Stadium. Depth is another issue for QSI to consider as well when reflecting upon the Ligue 1 giants’ premature Champions League exit. 

Verratti and Pastore have endured freak seasons with injuries and have missed numerous important fixtures, while Matuidi and Luiz’s suspensions exposed how little depth PSG possess. Will such an unlucky combination conspire to bring the team down again?

Blanc’s decision to change the system entirely demonstrated how little faith he has in Benjamin Stambouli for a big Champions League clash, so why was he bought in the first place if the coach is then going to favour a radical tactical gambit over a player who can fit into their preferred system?

The time has arrived for big decisions to be made in the French capital if QSI want to see their team finally make it to the semi-finals or better. 

The next time PSG are in Champions League action next season, it could be a very different side to the one we have seen in this campaign’s edition…