PSG Problématique

They’re the talk of Europe, but despite lying third in the table after four games, Paris-Saint-Germain have been disappointing their fans.


I’ve been lucky, or unlucky, enough to be at Parc des Princes for both of Paris Saint Germain’s first two home games of the new Ligue 1 campaign. I’ve had the experience of watching PSG play live football at their fantastic stadium, with a phenomenal atmosphere and a sense of expectation and excitement following the well-documented takeover by QSI (Qatar Sports Investments). I’ve seen Javier Pastore, marquee €43 million signing from Palermo make his home debut and Kevin Gameiro make an impressive start to his PSG career since signing from Lorient in the summer. It all sounds wonderful.


So why would I suggest I’ve been unlucky to be a spectator at these two opening fixtures?
Quite frankly, bar a couple of players, PSG have been thoroughly disappointing and I have been a little startled at the low standard of performance. The ambiguity of my fortune at being present at the games is justified, I feel, particularly given the hype surrounding the start of the season in Paris. But was this to be expected?

Parisien Pressure


Paying for performances
It is argued that the injection of serious money (and by serious I mean senseless amounts) into a club such as PSG, well-known for their previous chronic under-achievement, is bound to cause some changes, and not all of them positive. Already-high expectations are lifted, following a summer during which over €80 million was spent on the recruitment of supposedly Championnat winning players.

These players are thrown together, some of them (notably Jérémy Menez and Javier Pastore) with very little time to settle in and play much during pre-season. Partly due to the money spent on them and the reputations they carry on their shoulders, they feel a weight added as they are required to perform immediately. It’s unrealistic, but perhaps inevitable given the necessity to make every game count in the results-oriented football of the modern era. It is difficult for the team to cohere, let alone for them to perform individually as the pressure, particularly for the lone club in such a famous city, is intolerable at times.


Kombouare Cornered
Furthermore, the immediate pressure placed on manager Antoine Kombouare is unhealthy and a sign that the new owners have pre-defined ideas about the sort of players they would like to sign and the sort of manager they want to lead their team to money-fuelled success. Following the 0-4 victory in Luxembourg, putting PSG in a comfortable position for their home leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, Kombouare was given just two games to save his job. This is an illustration of the unfair and irrational treatment of coaches in today’s climate.

There have been whispers that Brazilian director of football, Leonardo will have a say in who is appointed as manager should Kombouare be shown the door. Carlo Ancelotti seems the favourite, another indication of Leonardo’s close ties with Italian football.

In my view, Kombouare is a top manager and deserves the respect to be given at least six months to prove that he is capable – or not – to do the job at PSG. He is a top manager and the club is unlikely to move forward if there is an atmosphere of tension between manager and owners. Pressure should be relieved, or uncertainty will mount and changing of managers will only lead to PSG needing to start over again. A new manager will bring a new system and this is bound to take time to adjust to.

Some may argue that it would therefore be better to remove Kombouare now and get the board’s ideal manager in so that PSG can kick on and develop solidly into the future. Peut-être.

On the pitch

Put simply, PSG have been pretty woeful in their opening two home games. As a result, they have picked up three points from two games against opponents, both of which should have been beaten, with or without the new money. ‘At least they won one of them!’ I hear you cry. Admittedly they did, but the way in which the Paris outfit achieved it was unconvincing to say the least.

One thing that was evident in both games was a lack desire from the players. There was no drive, no ambition and worst of all, there seemed to be a lack of team spirit. The sight of the PSG players slowly wandering out of the tunnel without any form of togetherness – in fragments – for the second half against Valenciennes epitomized the main problems for PSG currently. It was a labored and frustrating scene, demonstrating an attitude that must be addressed by Kombouare if he is to keep his job and by the players if they are to achieve anything in France’s capital.

Lacking against Lorient, 6th August 2011

The season opener against Lorient was expected to be a comfortable exhibition of the potential that the new PSG held and a celebration of a new era for the relatively young club, founded in 1970. Pastore was paraded, the red and blue flags were waved fervently, and the sound around the great stadium reached a deafening volume.

The reality of the match was quite contrary to the optimism of the hopes shown before kick-off.

Lorient must be given credit, for the way in which they approached the game was commendable, and indeed a representation of exactly what was lacking from the PSG performance. Lorient showed fluidity in their passing and teamwork, with players moving for one another to create space. On an uncomfortably frequent number of occasions the visitors would break through the PSG midfield, and could easily have scored three or four in the first half. They scored one from a set-piece given away needlessly by captain Sakho, who looked clumsy and unfocused for much of the game. The marking was virtually non-existent and Lorient’s energy and positive attitude was rewarded with the only and decisive goal.

Conversely, PSG were sloppy from quite literally the first few kicks of the ball, with Mamadou Sakho aimlessly kicking the ball up field, losing possession after just ten seconds of play. This was just the first glimpse of how inaccurate Paris-Saint-Germain were with their passing and lack of strategy, it seemed. Sakho’s new centre back partner, Milan Bisevac, put in a slightly better performance but still looked vulnerable when players were running at him.

Siako Tiene at left-back showed his attacking fortitude with little end product throughout the game but defensively he was poor, caught out of position too many times. Jallet was relatively (relativity being key here) decent, showing an endeavour that no other PSG player seemed to possess in the first game. He was up and down the right side of the field with admirable efficiency and aided a lazy Menez to attack. By and large, it was evident that the defence was a little unsure and under pressure, not to mention in need of some time to gel as a unit.

The midfield was the main issue in this game, as far as I’m concerned. Admittedly, the defence was slow to release the ball for the most part, but there was a complete lack of energy in the engine room, so to speak. Chantôme, a decent central midfielder, was the link between midfield and defence, alongside summer addition Blaise Matuidi. Chantôme was slow on the ball and his passing inaccurate.

That said, he was far more composed on the ball than any other player in the team, particularly the aforementioned Matuidi who looked like a bull in a china shop, except without the energy or destructive capacity. In effect, he was a waste of space, losing the ball when he got it due to heavy touches, thoughtless passing and seeming confusion and panic when he was in possession. Neither of the central players showed any ability to get the team going or to spread the necessary passes to launch an attack. Even in their defensive roles they were inadequate, often beaten too easily by simple passes from Lorient, leaving the back line exposed.

The overriding issue was that PSG were......continued at PSG facing problems