🔗 Share this article

“The situation is both pleasing and irritating,” remarks the team's head coach. The PSG boss has a complicated relationship with how his squad's league matches unfold. When PSG are involved, one team presses and the other defends. “I enjoy facing defensive setups,” he maintains. “This is the game situation I know best. I am very respectful of how other teams play. Though unconventional compared to our style, I acknowledge and welcome it.”

Facing defensive teams isn't optional for PSG; this is their regular experience, due to the quality difference created by budget inequality. Their quality typically shines through and the low-block is unlocked with different levels of challenge. Yet this term has proven more difficult.

Dominant Possession But Poor Results

PSG have averaged nearly three-quarters of possession in the French league so far this season. Versus Nice last weekend, they had 76.5% of the ball and made numerous passes, against just Nice's 182. At the interval, the Portuguese midfielder had 90 contacts with the ball – only six less than the whole Nice squad – but PSG struggled to make their domination tell. When the first period ended, opposition defender Bah, whose goal-bound attempt was blocked by a PSG player, had been the most dangerous.

This performance wasn't isolated. The Parisians had tied three of their previous four Ligue 1 games. With 71% ball control against the visiting team, but were needing a dying moments tying goal from Mayulu to salvage a point. And, despite having 77% of the ball against Lorient in midweek, they found the net only once and were unable to win. Almost one third of the way into the season, PSG are ranked fifth for goals in Ligue 1 – behind several other French clubs.

Forward Line Problems

This reflects the particular attention that PSG garner, but also reflects a genuine problem. Their forwards are not scoring. The French international's 29 goals last season aided in securing Ligue 1 and the Champions League; Another attacker scored 14 times in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 in all competitions; and Kvaratskhelia scored eight after his mid-season arrival.

Dembélé won the prestigious award and, while it is contestable that the national team player is indeed the world's top footballer, it is hard to dispute that he was not the outstanding individual of the last season. He's recorded merely five strikes in 12 games this season. He experienced a muscle problem while on national team service in last month, which gave rise to a conflict between PSG and the France team that has seen the connection between club and country decline. The player was absent for around a month and a half of action as a result, but he still doesn’t look right. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen touching his muscle. “It's very painful,” he told teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Injury Concerns

Luis Enrique says the forward should be available to face Bayern Munich this week in the continental tournament but, while he regains his form, teammates must contribute. Unfortunately, Doué cannot help. The former Rennes forward was also hurt in the same month. He was recovering to his best when he was struck down with another muscle issue, which is expected to rule him out until the new year. Kvaratskhelia is a important contributor to his team but he often excels mainly for the important matches in the European stage; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Their current top scorer, PSG’s top scorer in all competitions this season, has just one goal in his last eight appearances and is in a dry spell. A player who scores in bursts, the form will certainly come back, but he shouldn't be relied upon to be the goalscorer in this expensively assembled PSG attack.

Gonçalo Ramos scored the winner against Nice but will he keep his place in the team?

This was the role handed to Gonçalo Ramos when he signed in last year. Their number nine hit the century of 100 matches for PSG against Nice, but he has started on the sidelines in more than half of those appearances. With nearly half his total after being introduced from the bench, he has clearly taken on the role of the “super-sub”, partially due to his ineffectiveness when picked, but mostly due to his boss's unwillingness to begin with a traditional striker. “What explains my bench scoring record? Well, simply because I come off the bench more than I start,” joked Ramos after the match.

Turning Point

As scoring has decreased across the frontline, his late decisive goal has given his boss decisions to make. The centre-forward missed three chances before converting his next and securing the victory, but the fact that their prime opportunities fell to him is significant. His finishing is instinctive and that is what PSG were investing in when they paid substantial money. “He is a very important player for us because he is continuously available for every match, regardless of his starting status,” said Luis Enrique. “Even brief appearances from Gonçalo are productive periods.” The moment might have come for the bench specialist to play a starring role.

French League Results

• Rennes 4-1 Strasbourg
• Lens 3-0 Lorient
• Lille 1-0 Angers
• Nantes 0-2 Metz
• Toulouse 0-0 Le Havre
• Brest 0-0 Lyon
• PSG 1-0 Nice
• Monaco 0-1 Paris FC
• Auxerre 0-1 Marseille

Current Rankings

Position	Team	Played	Goal Difference	Points
1	PSG	11	12	24
2	Marseille	11	14	22
3	Lens	11	7	22
4	Lille	11	10	20
5	Monaco	11	6	20
6	Lyon	11	4	20
7	Strasbourg	11	6	19
8	Nice	11	0	17
9	Toulouse	11	2	15
10	Rennes	11	1	15
11