Paris St-Germain are struggling to hit top form, and their Champions League holders' status is looking increasingly fragile. Manager Luis Enrique has admitted that his team's performance in the last week's defeat against Sporting, despite being ahead for most of the match, was not up to par.
The statistics suggest PSG have been doing reasonably well this season, winning in Barcelona and scoring seven goals in Leverkusen. However, issues plaguing the start of their Champions League campaign from last season - including defensive mistakes and poor finishing - seem to have resurfaced.
One major factor behind their struggles is the inconsistency of the other forwards on the field, with Goncalo Ramos failing to make a decisive impact. Even though Ramos has the skillset to be the focal point of PSG's star-studded attack, he struggles to find enough space to involve himself, often getting left out of the game.
The summer signings of Lucas Chevalier and Gianluigi Donnarumma have struggled to win fans over, with Donnarumma being beaten for Sporting's opening goal in Lisbon and making some high-profile errors. The prospect of a winner-takes-all battle for a top-eight spot with Newcastle will not be too serious a setback for PSG, but more than that, the European champions will be looking to rediscover last season's attacking spark now their squad is nearly back to its full complement.
Manager Luis Enrique has urged his team to play with more authority and control matches, saying "We have to know that the ball is ours, and defend how we want. We're going to try to dominate and win the match." PSG are currently in the top eight of the Champions League's league phase but have not matched the impressive standards set last season.
As the stakes grow higher, PSG must rediscover their form if they hope to make a deep run in the Champions League this season. With key players returning from injury, the time is now for the team to gel and start producing the performances that will get them back on track.
The statistics suggest PSG have been doing reasonably well this season, winning in Barcelona and scoring seven goals in Leverkusen. However, issues plaguing the start of their Champions League campaign from last season - including defensive mistakes and poor finishing - seem to have resurfaced.
One major factor behind their struggles is the inconsistency of the other forwards on the field, with Goncalo Ramos failing to make a decisive impact. Even though Ramos has the skillset to be the focal point of PSG's star-studded attack, he struggles to find enough space to involve himself, often getting left out of the game.
The summer signings of Lucas Chevalier and Gianluigi Donnarumma have struggled to win fans over, with Donnarumma being beaten for Sporting's opening goal in Lisbon and making some high-profile errors. The prospect of a winner-takes-all battle for a top-eight spot with Newcastle will not be too serious a setback for PSG, but more than that, the European champions will be looking to rediscover last season's attacking spark now their squad is nearly back to its full complement.
Manager Luis Enrique has urged his team to play with more authority and control matches, saying "We have to know that the ball is ours, and defend how we want. We're going to try to dominate and win the match." PSG are currently in the top eight of the Champions League's league phase but have not matched the impressive standards set last season.
As the stakes grow higher, PSG must rediscover their form if they hope to make a deep run in the Champions League this season. With key players returning from injury, the time is now for the team to gel and start producing the performances that will get them back on track.