Having a crisis in autumn is kind of a tradition at Paris Saint-Germain, and this year is no exception.
The problem for PSG this season is that it’s happening just before the game against rival Marseille, which looks rejuvenated under coach Igor Tudor and travels to the Parc des Princes on Sunday in good form.
Just a fortnight ago, the horizon looked clear for the French champion, which looked to build on a great start to the season in both its domestic and continental campaigns.
But the picture has changed dramatically, and very quickly.
The team coached by Christophe Galtier conceded three consecutive draws — including two against Benfica in the Champions League — while rumours that Kylian Mbappé wants to leave the club during the January transfer window emerged this week.
Additionally, French investigative media Mediapart published a story Wednesday claiming that PSG in recent years worked with an external company to create an “army” of fake Twitter accounts in a bid to denigrate media perceived as hostile to the club.
According to Mediapart, some players were also targeted, including Mbappé when reports that he wanted a transfer to Real Madrid surfaced in 2019.
PSG has denied the allegations.
In terms of points, however, the situation at the capital city club is far from being catastrophic.
Still unbeaten in all competitions, PSG has a three-point lead over Marseille at the top of the standings while its latest draw at Benfica in the Champions League left it atop Group H with two games left.
But PSG’s quality of play has faded and the team is finding it increasingly difficult to find the net after scoring 24 goals in its opening six league games.
“It’s just that we are less flashy, less brilliant, less dangerous,” Galtier said. “At the beginning of the season, we were much faster, with much more vertical play once we created the gaps.”
Mbappé scored his 31st Champions League goal for PSG against Benfica to become the club’s record scorer in the competition.
The match was played only a few hours after a series of reports in France and Spain claimed that Mbappé wants to leave during the January transfer window, less than six months after the World Cup winner extended his contract.
Among the reasons behind Mbappé’s supposed frustration are unfulfilled recruitment promises, and his role at PSG in the team’s front three. Mbappé recently suggested that he would rather play alongside another striker — as he does with the France national team — rather than in a pivot role up front.
Galtier said this week that the club tried to recruit another striker with a different profile to allow Mbappé to play in his preferred position, but that it didn’t happen.
Meanwhile, the MNM trio of Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi could be back for “Le Classique” against Marseille.
Messi has missed PSG’s last two games in all competitions because of a slight calf problem. Galtier said the Argentina great is feeling better and is likely to return on Sunday.
Known as “Le Classique,” the match between PSG and Marseille became popular during the 1990s when the arrival of prominent stars such as Rudi Voeller and George Weah ignited a strong rivalry.
But Marseille, the only French team to win the Champions League back in 1993, has fallen well behind since PSG was taken over by Qatari investors in 2011.
The southern French club is, however, enjoying a strong revival under Tudor and will be looking for its first win against PSG in two years.
Tudor, who replaced Jorge Sampoli, has led Marseille to seven wins from its first 10 league matches while developing an attacking style of play based on pace, tempo and hard press.
Marseille’s 2-0 win at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League this week marked the first time it has won back-to-back games in the group stage in more than a decade. The win also ended a run of 18 Champions League matches without a clean sheet.
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