Few European football teams have needed the October international break as much as Paris Saint-Germain, who enter the break after a 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League and a 1-1 draw away to OGC Nice in Ligue 1 Taken on its own as just one week in a longer season, this may not be a cause for concern, but extend that picture to the two games before that: a 1-1 draw at Stade de Reims and a 3-1 home win over Stade Rennais. – and it shows a run of just one win from four games in all competitions.
That kind of form is worrying for PSG and especially after US Men’s International Folarin Balogun helped AS Monaco take top spot at Le Championnat in a 2-1 win away to Rennes, which now puts them two points ahead of Les Parisiens in the standings . Add to this Les Monegasques’ better UCL form with a stunning win over Barcelona and a draw against Dinamo Zagreb and the signs are that Adi Hutter’s side may well be the French team in form at this point in the season.
After winning all five of their opening five games this season, Paris have managed just one win from their last four and Luis Enrique has not only seen his team drop four points domestically but also bounce back with star player Ousmane Dembélé, which was dropped for the Champions League. loss to Arsenal. The France international was reinstated for the draw against Nice and provided the assist for Nuno Mendes’ second-half equalizer, but the French defending champions were unable to find a winning goal despite having possession and creating more chances than the hosts Franck Haise.
“I am absolutely not the type of man who makes a final decision before the end of the season,” said Luis Enrique after the 1-1 draw in Nice. “You judge performances at the end of the season and I think our early campaign has been promising. I like what I see. I think our start to this season has been better than our last. The most important thing is to miss and that is leading Ligue 1 and being competitive in all competitions.”
PSG have three points from six in the UCL after going down to the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium, with PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid next at the Parc des Princes as part of a series of four home games of the next five on domestic and continental level. The big highlight in that series that starts after the international period with RC Strasbourg Alsace is the match in the middle and the only road trip of those five that is far behind the bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille in Le Classique.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men haven’t quite put the pressure on PSG that many expected from them so far, but that has come from Monaco and the difference between the two fierce rivals is currently just three points, which is hardly insurmountable with ASM two points ahead. Paris. It will be the Italian’s first taste of France’s most prestigious and heated rivalry with the Stade Velodrome – which is boiling at the best of times – expected to be on the verge of eruption once again when it arrives.
One of the two biggest questions for PSG and Luis Enrique as they have time to take stock of this season so far is why they have kept just two clean sheets in nine games against lowly Montpellier all season HSC in Ligue 1 and Champions League debutants Girona which was a narrow victory. It also plays a role in the second question, as those two shutouts came in the French capital, but the away form is suddenly problematic, with no wins in the last three away from home, after a draw at Stade de Reims was followed by the loss of Arsenal and the stalemate in Nice.
Three or four wins out of the next five will be expected, with Marseille and Atletico the obvious challenges, but an unbeaten run will be the minimum expected of Luis Enrique and his players if they are to land Monaco. The two meetings with Les Monegasques will not take place. until early 2025, when they take place within about a month of each other, and until they are caught up they will be more the team in PSG’s sights than OM as we head towards the winter window and the final international break in December.