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“It’s both beautiful and frustrating,” says the PSG manager. The French club's coach has a tricky relationship with how his squad's league matches unfold. In PSG's matches, one team goes forward and the other sits back. “Breaking down deep defenses appeals to me,” he insists. “This is the game situation I know best. I appreciate the diversity of football approaches. It is a different kind of football from ours, it’s atypical, but I understand and accept it.”

Dealing with deep defenses is unavoidable for PSG; it is simply their reality, a result of the skill gap created by economic disparity. Their superior ability generally prevails and the low-block is unlocked with mixed ease. Yet this term has proven more difficult.

Dominant Possession Yet Limited Output

The French champions have recorded nearly three-quarters of possession in Ligue 1 so far this campaign. Facing Nice in their recent match, they had dominant ball control and made over 750 passes, versus just Nice's 182. Before the break, Vitinha had numerous ball contacts – merely six short than the whole Nice squad – but PSG couldn't translate superiority into goals. At halftime, opposition defender Bah, whose header was cleared off the line by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, had been the most dangerous.

And this game isn’t an outlier. The Parisians had tied three out of four Ligue 1 games. With 71% ball control against their opponents, but were dependent on a last-minute tying goal from Mayulu to salvage a point. Although possessing dominant control against another French side 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 just fifth in scoring in Ligue 1 – behind multiple domestic rivals.

Strike Force Problems

This stems from the particular attention that PSG receive, but also indicates a real issue. Their forwards are not scoring. The French international's 29 strikes last season helped PSG win Ligue 1 and the European Cup; Bradley Barcola scored 14 times in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 in all competitions; and Kvaratskhelia scored several times after his mid-season arrival.

The forward claimed the prestigious award and, while it is contestable that the national team player is indeed the world's top footballer, it is hard to dispute that he was not the outstanding individual of the last season. He has just five strikes in 12 appearances this season. He experienced a muscle problem while on country representation in last month, which caused a blame game between PSG and the national squad that has seen the ties between both parties deteriorate. He was unavailable for around a month and a half of action as a result, but he appears below his best. Following the victory against Nice, he was seen holding his thigh. “It hurts so much,” he told club colleague.

Fitness Issues

Luis Enrique says Dembélé will be fit to face their European opponents this week in the European competition but, while he returns to full fitness, squad members need to perform. It won’t be Doué. The young attacker was also sidelined in the same month. He was returning to his best when he was affected by another thigh injury, which is expected to rule him out until the new year. The Georgian is a massive asset to his team but he often excels mainly for the big occasions in the continental competition; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Barcola, PSG’s highest goal-getter in all competitions this season, has just one score in his last eight appearances and is in a goal drought. Something of a purple-patch forward, the goals will undoubtedly return, but he can’t be expected to be the goalscorer in this expensively assembled PSG attack.

Their center forward scored the winner against Nice but will he remain in the lineup in the team?

These were the expectations assigned to Gonçalo Ramos when he joined in recently. The international forward reached the milestone of 100 matches for PSG against Nice, but he has been a substitute in over 50% of those appearances. Recording a significant portion after entering as a replacement, he has very much assumed the role of the “finisher”, somewhat owing to his ineffectiveness when starting, but mostly due to his boss's unwillingness to start with a traditional striker. “Why do I score so many goals off the bench? The simple reason is my appearances are mainly from the bench,” joked Ramos after the match.

Turning Point

As scoring has decreased across the attacking unit, Ramos’ last-gasp winner has given his boss decisions to make. The centre-forward failed to convert several opportunities before taking his fourth and deciding the game, but the fact that PSG’s best chances came to him is revealing. He’s an instinctive poacher and that is what PSG were investing in when they invested €65m. “His role is vital for us because he is constantly prepared for every match, whether he starts or not,” said their coach. “Even brief appearances from Gonçalo are quality minutes.” It may be time for the impact substitute to play a major part.

Ligue 1 Results

• 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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