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“It’s both beautiful and frustrating,” remarks the PSG manager. The Paris Saint-Germain manager has a complex relationship with how his club's league matches play out. In PSG's matches, one team goes forward and the other protects. “I like attacking a low block,” he asserts. “It is the phase of play that I am most familiar with. I appreciate the diversity of football approaches. While it differs from our philosophy, I comprehend and embrace it.”

Dealing with deep defenses isn’t really a choice for PSG; it is simply their reality, due to the talent imbalance created by financial imbalance. Their talent usually tells and the defensive wall is broken with different levels of challenge. However, this campaign has been more challenging.

Dominant Possession However Insufficient Output

The Parisians have maintained nearly three-quarters of possession in the French league so far this season. Facing Nice in their recent match, they had dominant ball control and made over 750 passes, compared to just 182 for Nice. By half-time, Vitinha had numerous ball contacts – just six fewer than the whole Nice squad – but PSG failed to convert their control. At halftime, Nice defender Juma Bah, whose close-range effort was saved by a PSG player, had come closest to scoring.

And this game isn’t an outlier. The Parisians had tied 75% of their recent Ligue 1 games. Dominating possession with 71% against the visiting team, but were dependent on a late tying goal from Mayulu to secure one point. And, despite having dominant control against Lorient in midweek, they found the net only once and were ultimately held to a draw. Approximately 33% of the way into the season, PSG are only the fifth top scorers in Ligue 1 – trailing multiple domestic rivals.

Forward Line Issues

This stems from the unique approach that PSG receive, but also reflects a genuine problem. Their attackers are struggling. Their star forward's 29 strikes last season aided in securing Ligue 1 and the European Cup; A young forward scored 14 goals in the league; Another offensive player hit 16 across all tournaments; and Kvaratskhelia scored eight after his mid-season arrival.

Dembélé won the prestigious award and, while it is arguable that the French star is indeed the global standout, it is challenging to deny that he was not the top performer of the previous term. He's recorded merely five goals in 12 games this season. He suffered a muscle problem while on international duty in last month, which gave rise to a dispute between PSG and the French federation that has seen the relationship between the two institutions worsen. He was unavailable for around a month and a half of action as a result, but he hasn't fully recovered. Following the victory against Nice, he was seen touching his muscle. “The pain is intense,” he told club colleague.

Injury Concerns

The PSG coach says Dembélé will be fit to face Bayern Munich this week in the Champions League but, while he gets back up to speed, other players have to step up. Sadly, Doué is unavailable. The former Rennes forward was also sidelined in recently. He was returning to his best when he was suffered another muscle issue, which is likely to keep him out until the new year. Their winger is a valuable player to his team but he often excels mainly for the crucial games in the continental competition; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Their current top scorer, PSG’s highest goal-getter in all competitions this season, has just one goal in his last eight matches and is in a dry spell. A player who scores in bursts, the goals will undoubtedly return, but he shouldn't be relied upon to be the goalscorer in this high-priced PSG attack.

Gonçalo Ramos scored the winner against Nice but will he remain in the lineup in the team?

That was the job handed to Gonçalo Ramos when he joined in 2023. Their number nine hit the century of 100 appearances for PSG against Nice, but he has been a substitute in the majority of those appearances. Having scored a significant portion after coming on as a substitute, he has very much assumed the role of the “super-sub”, partially due to his lack of impact when picked, but mostly due to his manager’s reluctance to field a out-and-out forward. “Why do I score so many goals off the bench? The simple reason is my appearances are mainly from the bench,” remarked Ramos after the match.

Critical Moment

As scoring has decreased across the forward line, the match-winning strike has given his boss decisions to make. The striker missed three chances before scoring his final and deciding the game, but the fact that the team's clearest openings were created for him is revealing. He’s an instinctive poacher and that is what PSG were investing in when they made a significant investment. “He's a crucial squad member for us because he is constantly prepared for every match, regardless of his starting status,” said the manager. “Even brief appearances from Gonçalo are productive periods.” It may be time for the impact substitute to play a starring role.

French League Outcomes

• 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
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