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“It’s a mix of beauty and frustration,” says the PSG manager. The French club's coach has a complex relationship with how his team’s league matches unfold. Whenever the Parisians play, one team goes forward and the other defends. “I like attacking a low block,” he asserts. “I have the most experience with this tactical scenario. I appreciate the diversity of football approaches. It is a different kind of football from ours, it’s atypical, but I understand and accept it.”

Facing defensive teams isn't optional for PSG; it is simply their reality, because of the skill gap created by budget inequality. Their talent usually tells and the resistance is overcome with varying degrees of difficulty. Yet this term has proven more difficult.

Dominant Possession But Poor Results

The Parisians have maintained over 72% ball control in France's top flight so far this term. Against Nice on Saturday, they had 76.5% of the ball and made 760 passes, against just under 200 for their opponents. Before the break, the Portuguese midfielder had 90 touches of the ball – merely six short than the complete opposition side – but PSG failed to convert their control. At halftime, Nice defender Juma Bah, whose header was cleared off the line by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, had nearly scored.

This match wasn't an exception. The Parisians had tied three of their previous four Ligue 1 games. They had 71% possession against their opponents, but were reliant on a last-minute Senny Mayulu equaliser to salvage a point. Even with 77% of the ball against another French side in midweek, they only scored once and were ultimately held to a draw. Approximately 33% of the way into the season, PSG are ranked fifth for goals in Ligue 1 – trailing multiple domestic rivals.

Strike Force Struggles

This stems from the unique approach that PSG attract, but also indicates a genuine problem. Their forwards are not scoring. Ousmane Dembélé’s 29 scores last season aided in securing Ligue 1 and the continental trophy; Another attacker scored 14 times in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 total goals; and Their winter signing scored eight after his mid-season arrival.

Dembélé won the prestigious award and, while it is contestable that the French star is indeed the best player in the world, it is hard to dispute that he was not the best player of the last season. He's recorded merely five strikes in 12 matches this season. He suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty in September, which caused a blame game between PSG and the national squad that has seen the connection between club and country decline. He was unavailable for around several weeks of action as a result, but he hasn't fully recovered. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen holding his thigh. “It's very painful,” he told club colleague.

Injury Concerns

Their manager says the forward should be available to face Bayern Munich this week in the continental tournament but, while he gets back up to speed, squad members need to perform. Unfortunately, Doué cannot help. The young attacker was also hurt in September. He was returning to his best when he was affected by another leg problem, which is likely to keep him out until next month. Their winger is a valuable player to his team but he often saves his best performances for the important matches in the European stage; he is goalless so far in Ligue 1 this season. Another forward, PSG’s leading marksman in all competitions this season, has just a single strike in his last eight games and is in a fallow period. A player who scores in bursts, the scoring will surely resume, but he can’t be expected to be the goalscorer in this high-priced PSG attack.

The Portuguese striker got the decisive goal against Nice but will he keep his place in the team?

These were the expectations handed to Gonçalo Ramos when he signed in last year. The international forward reached the milestone of 100 matches for PSG against Nice, but he has been a substitute in more than half of those appearances. Having scored 18 of his 38 goals after entering as a replacement, he has clearly taken on the role of the “super-sub”, somewhat owing to his ineffectiveness when selected, but mainly owing to his boss's unwillingness to field a traditional striker. “Why do I score so many goals off the bench? Basically because I come off the bench more than I start,” remarked Ramos after the match.

Critical Moment

With their attack struggling across the frontline, Ramos’ last-gasp winner has given his boss decisions to make. The striker failed to convert several opportunities before converting his next and securing the victory, but the fact that their prime opportunities were created for him is telling. He's a natural goal scorer and that is what PSG were acquiring when they made a significant investment. “His role is vital for us because he is constantly prepared for every match, whether he starts or not,” said their coach. “Short cameos from the striker are quality minutes.” The moment might have come for the bench specialist to play a leading part.

Ligue 1 Matches

• Rennes 4-1 Strasbourg
• Lens 3-0 Lorient
• Lille 1-0 Angers
• Nantes 0-2 Metz
• Toulouse 0-0 Le Havre
• Brest 0-0 Lyon
• PSG 1-0 Nice
• Monaco 0-1 Paris FC
• Auxerre 0-1 Marseille

Current Rankings

Position	Team	Played	Goal Difference	Points
1	PSG	11	12	24
2	Marseille	11	14	22
3	Lens	11	7	22
4	Lille	11	10	20
5	Monaco	11	6	20
6	Lyon	11	4	20
7	Strasbourg	11	6	19
8	Nice	11	0	17
9	Toulouse	11	2	15
10	Rennes	11	1	15
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