🔗 Share this article

“It’s both beautiful and frustrating,” says the PSG manager. The French club's coach has a tricky relationship with how his team’s league matches unfold. When PSG are involved, one team attacks and the other sits back. “Breaking down deep defenses appeals to me,” he insists. “I have the most experience with this tactical scenario. I am very respectful of how other teams play. It is a different kind of football from ours, it’s atypical, but I understand and accept it.”

Dealing with deep defenses is unavoidable for PSG; it's their constant situation, because of the quality difference created by budget inequality. Their talent usually tells and the resistance is overcome with varying degrees of difficulty. But it has been tougher this season.

Control of the Ball However Insufficient Results

The French champions have recorded nearly three-quarters of possession in Ligue 1 so far this season. Against Nice on Saturday, they had 76.5% of the ball and made numerous passes, compared to just Nice's 182. By half-time, the Portuguese midfielder had 90 touches of the ball – just six fewer than the complete opposition side – but PSG struggled to make their domination tell. When the whistle blew for the interval, opposition defender Bah, whose header was cleared off the line by his teammate, had been the most dangerous.

This match wasn't an exception. They had shared points in three of their previous four Ligue 1 games. They had 71% possession against Strasbourg, but were needing a dying moments Senny Mayulu equaliser to salvage a point. And, despite having 77% possession against Lorient in midweek, they found the net only once and were ultimately held to a draw. Almost one third of the way into the season, PSG are just fifth in scoring in Ligue 1 – trailing Marseille, Lille, Monaco and Strasbourg.

Attacking Unit Issues

This stems from the particular attention that PSG receive, but also reflects a genuine problem. Their attackers are struggling. The French international's 29 goals last season helped PSG win Ligue 1 and the Champions League; A young forward scored 14 occasions in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 across all tournaments; and The Georgian international scored several times after his mid-season arrival.

He received the Ballon d’Or and, while it is debatable that the national team player is indeed the global standout, it is hard to dispute that he was not the outstanding individual of the last season. He has just five scores in 12 games this season. He suffered a hamstring injury while on national team service in early autumn, which caused a dispute between PSG and the France team that has seen the connection between club and country decline. The player was absent for around several weeks of action as a result, but he appears below his best. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen holding his thigh. “It hurts so much,” he told club colleague.

Player Availability

The PSG coach says the forward should be available to face the German giants this week in the continental tournament but, while he returns to full fitness, squad members need to perform. Sadly, Doué is unavailable. The young attacker was also hurt in recently. He was returning to his best when he was struck down with another muscle issue, which is expected to rule him out until January. The Georgian is a massive asset to his team but he often reserves his top displays for the important matches in the continental competition; he is yet to score in Ligue 1 this season. Their current top scorer, PSG’s top scorer in all competitions this season, has just a single strike in his last eight games and is in a dry spell. An attacker with hot streaks, the goals will undoubtedly return, but he can’t be expected to be the goalscorer in this high-priced PSG attack.

Their center forward got the decisive goal against Nice but will he remain in the lineup in the team?

That was the job given to their striker when he joined in recently. The international forward reached the milestone of 100 appearances for PSG against Nice, but he has been a substitute in more than half of those appearances. With nearly half his total after entering as a replacement, he has effectively embraced the role of the “super-sub”, partly because of his lack of impact when selected, but mainly owing to his boss's unwillingness to start with a traditional striker. “How come I score frequently as a substitute? Well, simply because I'm substituted in more often than I begin games,” quipped Ramos after the match.

Decisive Period

With the goals drying up across the forward line, the match-winning strike has given his manager food for thought. Their number nine was unsuccessful with earlier attempts before taking his fourth and deciding the game, but the fact that PSG’s best chances fell to him is significant. He's a natural goal scorer and that is what PSG were acquiring when they made a significant investment. “He's a crucial squad member for us because he is continuously available for every match, even if he begins on the bench,” said the manager. “Short cameos from the striker are quality minutes.” It may be time for the impact substitute to play a leading part.

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