A root and branch inspection of what is going wrong at PSG, and whether all the blame truly lies at Laurent Blancs door: Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten after seven matches in all competitions so far this season, yet all is not well with the French champions. Coach Laurent Blanc finds himself under pressure because of a disappointing run of just two victories and five draws in six Ligue 1 matches and one UEFA Champions League group stage game. The side are looking far from the authoritative unit that they were last campaign and the standard of performance has been noticeably lower this term.Yet PSG, and Blanc, are yet to lose a match domestically or in Europe. So what is the big fuss? In each their last three fixtures, les Parisiens have taken a one-goal first half lead and then gone on to fail to close the game out before shipping an equaliser. Blanc’s men could easily have lost late on in all three of those 1-1 draws against Stade Rennais, AFC Ajax and Olympique Lyonnais too. PSG are guilty of taking their foot off of the gas once they establish a lead. The French capital outfit’s performances this season lack the same intensity that they displayed last campaign and star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic – as well as a number of other key players – has gone quiet. The Swede is without a goal in any of those last three games and Blanc even admitted in his Tuesday press conference that the 32-year-old is experiencing “a difficult period.” However, the capital club’s No. 10 will not be present in Lower Normandy on Wednesday night when PSG take on Stade Malherbe Caen – because of a left heel injury – for what has turned into a must-win match for coach Blanc. According to insiders at the club, le President has three matches to save his skin. Wednesday’s Caen clash is followed by an unenviable trek to Toulouse on Saturday and then a daunting Champions League Group F meeting with Spanish giants Barcelona. So what are the possible reasons for this current malaise? One of the contributing factors – and the one that the French press are making the most fuss about at present – is Blanc’s role as coach. The Frenchman often appears to be lost on the touchline during matches. He seems incapable of making in-game changes that alter his team’s style of play and has developed an irritating habit of only making like-for-like substitutions when he needs to change things up on the pitch.PSG are unbalanced at present and Blanc’s substitutions in last Sunday’s draw with Lyon played a part in his team’s eventual undoing. There is no Plan B for when les Parisiens become stale and predictable – which they most certainly are at present – and there is a feeling that the 48-year-old’s limitations have been exposed. Blanc’s inability to communicate clearly with his player’s has also had an effect. Previously the former France national team coach had assistant Claude Makelele to do that for him, bridging the gap between the players and their coach. But now, Blanc’s flaws are rising to the surface. He needs to assert his authority over the squad because, at the moment, it appears as is player power has reached an all-time high at the Parc des Princes. The PSG tactician’s failure to unite his dressing room has also bred discontent among many of the players, not least the French contingent. Many at the club feel that Ibrahimovic and his closest friends – the likes of Thiago Silva, Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti, Gregory van der Wiel and Maxwell – enjoy too much of an elevated status in Paris. Admittedly few can really dispute some leniency towards Ibrahimovic, considering that he does his talking on the pitch and does not merit any serious criticism at present. The same does not go for his allies though and this preferential treatment has led some to feel shunned by Blanc. Another important reason for PSG’s slow start to the season is the simple fact that this squad is not the youngest anymore. A number of key players in the team are over 30 and have started to show their age of late. Ibrahimovic is about to turn 33, Motta is 32 and playing as if he is at least two years older since the start of the season, Maxwell is also 33. Motta – in particular – does not look like the same player that he was last campaign and was one of the main reasons for the success of Blanc’s preferred 4-3-3 formation. The coach needs to develop the ability to challenge the likes of the Italian international over his sub-standard performances and drop him – and others – if necessary. Finally, this summer’s FIFA World Cup has played its part in PSG’s early season struggles. The likes of Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Thiago Silva and David Luiz all experienced deep runs in Brazil, and as a result, all five of them are struggling to get back to their optimum condition. Captain Silva even picked up an injury in an ill-timed friendly against SSC Napoli to further emphasise the point, although Blanc likes to bring it up as often as possible at present. All of these factors have contributed towards PSG’s slow start to the season.It is not fair to lay all the blame at Blanc’s door, even if he is responsible for his fair share of criticism at this time, but is it really even a “crisis”? The fact that a coach can even be considered under pressure without having lost a single domestic or European match says a lot about the current climate of modern football. But once again, PSG have proved that they are no normal club. Even winning is not necessarily good enough in the eyes of the club’s Qatari owners.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:08:52 +0000
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