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“The situation is both pleasing and irritating,” states the team's head coach. The French club's coach has a tricky relationship with how his squad's league matches play out. In PSG's matches, one team attacks and the other protects. “I like attacking a low block,” he insists. “This is the game situation I know best. I respect opponents' playing styles. Though unconventional compared to our style, I acknowledge and welcome it.”

Facing defensive teams isn’t really a choice for PSG; this is their regular experience, because of the talent imbalance created by financial imbalance. Their talent usually tells and the defensive wall is broken with different levels of challenge. Yet this term has proven more difficult.

Control of the Ball But Insufficient Returns

PSG have averaged over 72% ball control in Ligue 1 so far this term. Against Nice on Saturday, they had 76.5% of the ball and made numerous passes, against just 182 for Nice. By half-time, their playmaker had 90 touches of the ball – only six less than the entire Nice team – but PSG struggled to make their domination tell. At halftime, the visiting team's defender, whose close-range effort was saved by a PSG player, had nearly scored.

This match wasn't an exception. They had shared points in 75% of their recent Ligue 1 games. With 71% ball control against Strasbourg, but were reliant on a late Senny Mayulu equaliser to secure one point. Although possessing dominant control against another French side in midweek, they found the net only once and were ultimately held to a draw. Nearly a third of the way into the season, PSG are just fifth in scoring in Ligue 1 – trailing Marseille, Lille, Monaco and Strasbourg.

Strike Force Problems

It is a result of the special treatment that PSG receive, but also reflects a genuine problem. Their goal scorers are underperforming. The French international's 29 goals last season aided in securing Ligue 1 and the Champions League; A young forward scored 14 goals in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 in all competitions; and The Georgian international scored eight after his winter transfer.

Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or and, while it is debatable that the France international is indeed the world's top footballer, it is difficult to argue that he was not the top performer of the 2024-25 campaign. He has just five goals in 12 appearances this season. He experienced a thigh issue while on international duty in early autumn, which caused a conflict between PSG and the French federation that has seen the relationship between the two institutions decline. The player was absent for around a month and a half of action as a result, but he still doesn’t look right. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen clutching his hamstring. “It's very painful,” he told teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Injury Concerns

Luis Enrique says the forward should be available to face the German giants this week in the European competition but, while he gets back up to speed, squad members need to perform. Unfortunately, Doué cannot help. The young attacker was also injured in the same month. He was returning to his best when he was suffered another muscle issue, which is expected to rule him out until the new year. The Georgian is a massive asset to his team but he often excels mainly for the big occasions in the European stage; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Their current top scorer, PSG’s highest goal-getter in all competitions this season, has just a single strike in his last eight matches and is in a fallow period. A player who scores in bursts, the goals will undoubtedly return, but he isn't the solution to be the goalscorer in this costly PSG attack.

The Portuguese striker got the decisive goal against Nice but will he remain in the lineup in the team?

These were the expectations given to the Portuguese when he joined in 2023. The international forward hit the century of 100 matches for PSG against Nice, but he has been a substitute in more than half of those appearances. Having scored nearly half his total after coming on as a substitute, he has very much assumed the role of the “finisher”, somewhat owing to his limited contribution when starting, but primarily because of his coach's hesitation to start with a conventional No 9. “How come I score frequently as a substitute? Well, simply because I come off the bench more than I start,” joked Ramos after the match.

Critical Moment

With their attack struggling across the forward line, the match-winning strike has given his boss decisions to make. Their number nine was unsuccessful with earlier attempts before converting his next and securing the victory, but the fact that PSG’s best chances were created for him is significant. He’s an instinctive poacher and that is what PSG were buying when they paid substantial money. “He's a crucial squad member for us because he is always ready for every match, even if he begins on the bench,” said the manager. “Even brief appearances from Gonçalo are productive periods.” The moment might have come for the bench specialist to play a leading part.

French League 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

League Standings

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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