PSG is on the edge of the precipice

Paris Saint-Germain is close to an unprecedented elimination under the Qatari flag in the first round of the Champions League. The defeat Tuesday in Munich (1-0) confirmed the limits of the squad and puts coach Luis Enrique under pressure.

Baptiste BECQUART

The march was expected high on the Bavarian pitch against Bayern Munich also in reconstruction under the orders of Vincent Kompany, but with a five-star squad. Determined to add intensity to duels and pressing, the Parisian group was not ridiculous on Tuesday evening. However, he never seemed able to really cast doubt on the big German car and found himself 26th out of 36 teams, with four small points.

Because when making the transition from the middle to the attack, each time there was a wavering, as since the start of the season in C1. Wingers Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, PSG’s main weapons in the championship – outrageously dominated – seem very worn out in the prestigious competition.

A side in faux 9

And coach Luis Enrique persisted and signed, as he had announced, with a constantly changing false 9 for center forward, sometimes embodied by Fabian Ruiz, sometimes by Dembélé, sometimes by… the left side Nuno Mendes . “We expect everything because we know we have to be able to play in several positions,” explained Gonçalo Ramos, who has just returned from injury and entered at the end of the match.

Four training midfielders at kick-off, only two attackers and not the most killers in front of goal: after the defeats against Arsenal (2-0) and Atlético Madrid (2-1), and the draw against PSV Eindhoven (1-1), Luis Enrique bet again, and lost again. The scoring opportunities were few in number, and it was ultimately midfielder Joao Neves, a real good pick from summer recruitment, who was the most dangerous with several long-range strikes.

Market timid

Summer recruitment, precisely: the worm has perhaps been in the fruit since the start of the season. Furious at the departure of Kylian Mbappé, the club management then made up its mind and announced that it would largely compensate for this departure with arrivals.

Las! Led by Luis Campos but supervised by Luis Enrique, the transfer window was timid, with no attacker recruited, apart from the young and inexperienced Désiré Doué, who is eyeing more towards midfield.

Even rookie Matvey Safonov, at goalkeeper, disappointed Tuesday evening. His error in coming out from a corner, which led to the only goal of the match, was strangely reminiscent of the wanderings of Gianluigi Donnarumma. During the warm-up, he seemed stunned by his demotion to the bench. In this position, Luis Enrique ensures some headaches in the future, among other problems.

Imperative victory for Salzbourg

The coach who is so sure of his principles, and to whom the club has given everything, finds himself under pressure, even if President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi recently assured that he trusted him in the long term and that he would not not threatened even in the event of elimination from the C1 league phase.

“Being the coach of PSG is a privilege, the pressure I impose on myself is greater than any external pressure,” said Luis Enrique on Tuesday evening. “I’m not here to pass the time, my goal is to win as many titles as possible, now, not in the future,” he added.

Indeed, Paris has a chance of increasing its starving total by four points with the last three matches. In two weeks in Salzburg, victory is imperative, but largely achievable. The reception in January of a Manchester City currently in difficulty perhaps offers an opportunity. But Paris should play its qualification – for the play-offs – in Stuttgart during the last match. A meeting which already promises to be extremely tense.