No one knows what to make of PSG

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/08/2023 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You have to go back more than a decade to recall the last time Paris Saint-Germain went winless in three to begin their Ligue 1 schedule. All the way back to when David Beckham played for the club, which won its first title in 19 years that spring.

Yes, there was a period — most of their existence, in fact — during which PSG didn’t dominate the top flight of French football. While it’s still early, the capital giants might be in danger of having their vice-like grip on Le Championnat loosened, however slightly.

Fail to win Saturday at home to Lens (2 p.m., fuboTV), and they’ll match that unfortunate streak of 11 years ago. Although, you’d hardly know there was even a match at the weekend, what with the ongoing drama that has shadowed the past few months.

Most recently, it’s been about the captaincy.

Over less than a week, returning skipper Marquinhos has had his position challenged by a pair of votes – both of which he won. The first election was secured by a show of hands, but with club hierarchy displeased with the result they compelled a second poll, this time by secret ballot. The Brazil defender prevailed again.

At first blush, the outcome would seem to suggest a modicum of unity within the squad. Fair enough. But it also reveals the unpopularity of star striker Kylian Mbappe, who’s thought to have been angling for a move to Real Madrid. Not only did the World Cup winner rank behind Marquinhos, but Danilo Pereira and Presnel Kimpembe as well.

That Marco Verratti didn’t even figure in the tally similarly reflects the Italian’s unsettled status, what with offers from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli and Qatar’s Al Arabi on the table. Curiously, Le Parisien had predicted both Mbappe and Verratti would be serious candidates for the armband — proof, if any were needed, that no one really knows what to make of this team, even within it.

Still, there are the performances to go by, and they haven’t been good.

PSG hosted Lorient — 10th last term — to kick off its season two weeks ago. They drew nil-nil, placing only four shots on target. Seven days later, they required an Mbappe penalty to draw 1-1 at Toulouse. Ahead of the Lens contest, they’ve yet to score from open play.

Of course, there are some notable absences in new manager Luis Enrique’s squad, and that’s part of the story as well.

Lionel Messi, who recently admitted he’d never wanted to play in Paris, joined Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami last month. He was shortly followed out the door by record signing Neymar, who completed a €90 million switch to Saudi’s Al Hilal on Aug. 15. The Brazil forward, likewise lukewarm on PSG, was realistically never going to stay at the club after his home in Bougival was besieged by balaclava-wearing ultras back in May.

Rather more quietly, Sergio Ramos was released when the summer transfer window opened, striker Mauro Icardi signed for Galatasaray in late July and defender Abdou Diallo swapped Paris for Doha the same day Neymar started packing for Riyadh.

Recruitment executive Luis Campos clearly has a plan in place, and while his Qatari employers cannot be expected to dispense with the big-money signings that have so far defined their ownership, they at least seem receptive to a partially-rebuilt, and much younger, squad. Which might explain their reluctance to seeing Marquinhos, 29, remain as captain.

No doubt they’d have wanted it to go to Mbappe, 24, and the centrepiece they remain hopeful of building around. It may also have served as some incentive for him to remain at Parc-des-Princes beyond next year. Enrique’s decision to have his players make the choice, in that context, would seem somewhat puzzling.

Part of managerial leadership — and a straightforward part at that — is determining the figures in the team who can capably carry his message throughout the 90 minutes. He is ultimately in charge, and it’s in his interests, both tactically and professionally, to appoint that representative.

That said, the Spaniard is also nobody’s fool. If he never wanted Mbappe as captain in the first place, but understood his bosses certainly did, the savvy approach would be to relinquish the verdict to a squad he intuited would be of the same mind. Naturally, they’d put forward a candidate out of popularity, diminishing Mbappe and securing his preference — Marquinhos — in one fell swoop.

A stroke of genius, when framed in that light, and also an indication of Enrique’s strategic priority as he starts in the job.

While it’s true PSG’s offence has sputtered to begin the campaign, it’s also a fact its defence has allowed a paltry two shots and is yet to be beaten for a goal. Zakaria Aboukhal’s equalizer for Toulouse last Saturday, like Mbappe’s opener, was scored from the penalty spot. New signing Milan Skriniar, brought in on a freebie from Inter Milan, was outstanding against Toulouse, completing three tackles without fouling, winning two aerial contests, completing 97 per cent of his passes and touching the ball 118 times. The only player who enjoyed more possession was centre-back partner Marquinhos.

Enrique’s defense-first philosophy also extends to the centre of the park, where Uruguay international and €60 million acquisition from Sporting CP Manuel Ugarte, 22, has been entrusted with the midfield. He’s been accompanied in the position by the homegrown Warren Zaire-Emery, just 17.

Regarding the youth movement, the head coach has used only a single player older than 30, Pereira, through his first matches in charge.

All that said, while defensive stability is obviously vital, and though promising prospects point to the future, PSG are expected to win Ligue 1 — by their owners and everyone else — and make a push in the Champions League as well. To that, they need to score goals.

Lens boasted by far the most stingy defence in the division last season, when they finished a mere point off the top of the table. They also beat the Parisiens 3-1 in Pas-de-Calais in January. The hosts can’t be expected to fill the net in Saturday’s encounter. But they shouldn’t have to.

If Marquinhos and Skriniar can keep things tight yet again, and if Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele or anyone else can find some finish, that might be enough. It’s likely to be PSG’s winning template between now and May: a bunch of one-nils.

If they can’t, they’ll match that winless skid of 2012-13. Hardly the sort of history they want to make.

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