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“The situation is both pleasing and irritating,” remarks the team's head coach. The French club's coach has a tricky relationship with how his club's league matches develop. When PSG are involved, one team attacks and the other sits back. “I enjoy facing defensive setups,” he insists. “This is the game situation I know best. I appreciate the diversity of football approaches. Though unconventional compared to our style, I acknowledge and welcome it.”

Facing defensive teams is unavoidable for PSG; it's their constant situation, a result of the skill gap created by economic disparity. Their superior ability generally prevails and the defensive wall is broken with varying degrees of difficulty. But it has been tougher this season.

Control of the Ball However Poor Output

The Parisians have maintained over 72% ball control in the French league so far this term. Facing Nice in their recent match, they had 76.5% of the ball and made 760 passes, versus just under 200 for their opponents. At the interval, the Portuguese midfielder had 90 touches of the ball – just six fewer than the whole Nice squad – but PSG failed to convert their control. At halftime, the visiting team's defender, whose close-range effort was saved by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, had been the most dangerous.

And this game isn’t an outlier. PSG had drawn three out of four Ligue 1 games. Dominating possession with 71% against the visiting team, but were dependent on a dying moments tying goal from Mayulu to salvage a point. Although possessing dominant control against another French side in midweek, they managed just one goal and were finally tied. Almost one third of the way into the season, PSG are ranked fifth for goals in Ligue 1 – after several other French clubs.

Strike Force Issues

This reflects the particular attention that PSG receive, but also reflects a real issue. Their goal scorers are underperforming. Their star forward's 29 strikes last season aided in securing Ligue 1 and the European Cup; Bradley Barcola scored 14 times in the league; Désiré Doué hit 16 in all competitions; and Kvaratskhelia scored eight goals after his January move.

Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or and, while it is contestable that the national team player is indeed the best player in the world, it is hard to dispute that he was not the top performer of the 2024-25 campaign. He's recorded merely five goals in 12 appearances this season. He encountered a thigh issue while on country representation in last month, which gave rise to a dispute between PSG and the France team that has seen the ties between both parties decline. The player was absent for around six weeks of action as a result, but he still doesn’t look right. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen touching his muscle. “It's very painful,” he told teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Injury Concerns

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. Sadly, Doué is unavailable. The promising talent was also injured in recently. He was recovering to his best when he was suffered another thigh injury, which is expected to rule him out until the new year. Kvaratskhelia is a massive asset to his team but he often saves his best performances for the crucial games in the continental competition; he is yet to score in Ligue 1 this season. Barcola, PSG’s leading marksman in all competitions this season, has just one goal in his last eight matches and is in a fallow period. Something of a purple-patch forward, the goals will undoubtedly return, but he can’t be expected to be the goalscorer in this high-priced PSG attack.

Gonçalo Ramos got the decisive goal against Nice but will he keep his place in the team?

This was the role handed to their striker when he joined in last year. The international forward reached the milestone of 100 games for PSG against Nice, but he has started on the sidelines in more than half of those appearances. Recording 18 of his 38 goals after entering as a replacement, he has effectively embraced the role of the “finisher”, partially due to his lack of impact when picked, but mainly owing to his coach's hesitation to begin with a traditional striker. “What explains my bench scoring record? Well, simply because my appearances are mainly from the bench,” quipped Ramos after the match.

Turning Point

With the goals drying up across the attacking unit, the match-winning strike has given his coach something to consider. The striker missed three chances before converting his next and winning the match, but the fact that their prime opportunities came to him is revealing. His finishing is instinctive and that is what PSG were buying when they made a significant investment. “He's a crucial squad member 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.” The moment might have come for the bench specialist to play a leading 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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