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“The situation is both pleasing and irritating,” states the team's head coach. The Paris Saint-Germain manager has a tricky relationship with how his squad's league matches unfold. When PSG are involved, one team presses and the other protects. “I enjoy facing defensive setups,” he insists. “I have the most experience with this tactical scenario. I respect opponents' playing styles. While it differs from our philosophy, I comprehend and embrace it.”

Accepting low blocks isn't optional for PSG; it's their constant situation, due to the skill gap created by financial imbalance. Their talent usually tells and the defensive wall is broken with varying degrees of difficulty. However, this campaign has been more challenging.

Game Dominance Yet Poor Results

PSG have averaged over 72% ball control in the French league so far this campaign. Versus Nice last weekend, they had over 76% possession and made over 750 passes, against just 182 for Nice. Before the break, their playmaker had 90 contacts with the ball – just six fewer than the complete opposition side – but PSG couldn't translate superiority into goals. When the whistle blew for the interval, the visiting team's defender, whose goal-bound attempt was blocked by his teammate, had come closest to scoring.

This performance wasn't isolated. They had shared points in three of their previous four Ligue 1 games. They had 71% possession against their opponents, but were reliant on a last-minute 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 ranked fifth for goals in Ligue 1 – trailing several other French clubs.

Attacking Unit Problems

This reflects the particular attention that PSG garner, but also indicates a genuine problem. Their forwards are not scoring. The French international's 29 goals last season contributed to PSG's Ligue 1 and the continental trophy; Another attacker scored 14 occasions in the league; Désiré Doué hit 16 across all tournaments; and Their winter signing scored eight after his winter transfer.

Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or and, while it is debatable that the French star is indeed the best player in the world, it is hard to dispute that he was not the best player of the 2024-25 campaign. He has just five goals in 12 games this season. He encountered a muscle problem while on international duty in September, which gave rise to a conflict between PSG and the French federation that has seen the relationship between the two institutions decline. Dembélé missed around several weeks of action as a result, but he still doesn’t look right. After the win over Nice, he was seen holding his thigh. “The pain is intense,” he told teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Injury Concerns

Luis Enrique says Dembélé will be fit to face Bayern Munich this week in the European competition but, while he regains his form, other players have to step up. Sadly, Doué is unavailable. The promising talent was also injured in September. He was recovering to his best when he was suffered another muscle issue, which is projected to sideline him until next month. Kvaratskhelia is a valuable player to his team but he often saves his best performances for the crucial games in the continental competition; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Another forward, PSG’s highest goal-getter in all competitions this season, has just a single strike in his last eight games and is in a dry spell. A player who scores in bursts, the scoring will surely resume, but he shouldn't be relied upon to be the goalscorer in this high-priced PSG attack.

Their center forward scored the winner against Nice but will he maintain his position in the team?

That was the job handed to their striker when he arrived in recently. The international forward hit the century of 100 appearances for PSG against Nice, but he has come off the bench in over 50% of those appearances. With nearly half his total after being introduced from the bench, he has effectively embraced the role of the “finisher”, partially due to his lack of impact when selected, but mainly owing to his boss's unwillingness to begin with a traditional striker. “Why do I score so many goals off the bench? Well, simply because my appearances are mainly from the bench,” joked Ramos after the match.

Decisive Period

With their attack struggling across the forward line, the match-winning strike has given his coach something to consider. The centre-forward was unsuccessful with earlier attempts before converting his next and deciding the game, but the fact that the team's clearest openings were created for him is revealing. He's a natural goal scorer and that is what PSG were acquiring when they made a significant investment. “His role is vital for us because he is continuously available for every match, even if he begins on the bench,” said Luis Enrique. “Short cameos from the striker are quality minutes.” Perhaps now is the opportunity for the super-sub to play a leading part.

Ligue 1 Matches

• 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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