Paris Saint-Germain are right into a tough February. Olympique de Marseille are up subsequent within the Coupe de France earlier than AS Monaco, Lille OSC, and OM once more in Ligue 1 and Bayern Munich within the UEFA Champions League. Some pessimists within the French capital already consider that the injury has been completed and that this season is not going to quantity to a lot, others consider that Les Parisiens will react favorably to the difficult circumstances. However, one factor is evident and undisputable: PSG haven’t fairly been the identical because the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Unbeaten throughout all competitions earlier than the event, it didn’t take lengthy for Christophe Galtier’s males to be tripped up in Ligue 1. RC Lens and Stade Rennais each received residence wins whereas Folarin Balogun’s Stade de Reims additionally took factors away from their journey to Paris.
Kylian Mbappe is out for the following few weeks and a significant doubt to be match to face Bayern at Parc des Princes subsequent week regardless of Julian Nagelsmann suspecting that it’s a bluff. That is regardless of the France worldwide being given break day post-Qatar, having returned early to assist the workforce.
PSG did not capitalize on the January switch window and are going through main expenditure points as they battle to maintain their wage invoice below management past the top of this season. Milan Skriniar’s arrival from Inter Milan has to attend till this summer season however a mortgage transfer for Hakim Ziyech additionally failed.
Perhaps most worrying of all, although, is simply how sluggish PSG have appeared these days with most of the post-World Cup outings much like among the performances that we noticed below Mauricio Pochettino. Despite just a few good additions and various departures, it’s most of the similar gamers lining up below Galtier who featured for the Argentine.
Mbappe has usually been there to bail his workforce out below each bosses however now that the Frenchman is absent, there’s added emphasis on Lionel Messi and Neymar in assault. The World Cup winner has remained pretty productive since returning to home motion however the Brazilian has struggled, but each had been in unbelievable early season type forward of Qatar.
Galtier has rested Neymar of late and can convey him again in opposition to Marseille within the cup this Wednesday, however it has taken longer than anticipated. Equally, Marco Verratti’s harm points after which premature suspension didn’t assist from a creativity standpoint.
If these two can keep match in opposition to Bayern, then PSG nonetheless have an opportunity, however they don’t seem to be the one space of concern. Defensively, PSG have appeared woeful of late with Presnel Kimpembe working his manner again from a prolonged harm layoff, captain Marquinhos off form and veteran Sergio Ramos all of the sudden struggling for type.
Conceding in seven of 9 video games because the World Cup is way from watertight and is a significant concern forward of the showdown with Bayern. The midfield has additionally struggled to select up with out Verratti and Carlos Soler in addition to Fabian Ruiz have come below elevated scrutiny of late provided that they had been anticipated to resolve these kinds of issues together with the harm inclined Renato Sanches.
Youngster Warren Zaire Emery has been a uncommon ray of hope in a darkish winter interval however the feeling is that the important thing lies within the system. Galtier began this season with a 3-4-3 system which PSG received used to and fared effectively with in a shart house of time.
Since transferring away from that as a consequence of a scarcity of defensive choices with Nordi Mukiele additionally struggling for health, the general type and chemistry has suffered. Getting Verratti, Neymar, and Ramos again for this one in Marseille could possibly be influential, however added emphasis has been positioned on the health of Kimpembe and the type of Marquinhos and Ramos now that no central defender was signed in January.
By the top of this month, we may already know whether or not or not the World Cup killed PSG’s season with the Champions League and Coupe de France within the steadiness.
