Paris Saint-Germain’s rocky return to club football since the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues after a 1-0 away defeat at Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 on Sunday. It was not only the French champions’ second straight defeat in the top division, but it also reignited the Championship title chase with RC in fine form. Lens now three points behind the Parisians.
Perhaps most worrying for PSG is that there is less than a month to go before the UEFA Champions League return and Christophe Galtier’s men look like only a shadow of their version at the start of the season. . Hamari Traore did damage to reindeer at Roazhon Park for a depleted home side, but the one-goal margin was not even half of the visitors’ history.
Had Gianluigi Donnarumma failing to make several impressive and important saves, PSG would have been buried by two or three goals instead of just one. The capital outfit attack featured the world champion Lionel Messi and Brazilian superstar Neymar from the start and added French golden boy Kylian Mbappe before the hour mark.
Despite all this incredible firepower, PSG could only field one shot on target in Brittany and this, at the end of the match, once all three were on the pitch. Neymar’s performance was of particular concern both from a technical and mental point of view while Messi didn’t look much better after coming from behind. Angers SCO mid-week.
“I’m particularly disappointed with our performance,” Galtier said. “We didn’t create anything and we had very few good situations. We focused on possession of the ball and far too many of us fell back without enough high-placed players to occupy the Rennes defenders. We knew that “we risked being exposed. I still have a plan with Neymar and Leo, but we also need to find other options. We didn’t have a real focal point, so the two stalled once we had the ball and found few attacking options.
by Marco Verratti The latest injury is worrying as his absence coincided with a major loss of fluidity despite being present for the first defeat of the campaign at Lens. VitinhaFabien Ruiz, Carlos Soler and Danilo Pereira struggled to balance the loss of the Italian schemer and 16-year-old Warren Zaire Emery is too young to expect to orchestrate seamlessly.
There are more questions about the captain than ever Marquinhos‘ now extended and veteran form drop Sergio Ramos suddenly looks like someone pushing 37. It also raises the question of the team’s depth in defense with sporting adviser Luis Campos speaking earlier in the season about the failed landing. that of Inter Milan Milan Skriniar.
“Two losses already, we need to be more solid and more intense straight away,” Marquinhos said. “These games are played on small details and they made us pay for them. We know we have to rebuild our understanding as soon as possible because we lose points. Those points will count at the end of the season – especially away from home. “
“It’s frustrating to lose a game like that,” added Hugo Ekitike. “I think we missed a bit of everything. It was really disappointing. We have to bounce back together. I’m finding my bearings a bit, but I can’t be happy with the game. I had little to feed myself and I will work harder because I want to score more goals.”
The temptation would be to say that putting Mbappe back in the starting XI will solve this gloom but the France the international was there for Lens too and was helpless. That wobbly form has been present since the return to domestic action in truth with a questionable late penalty securing a 2-1 win over struggling RC. Strasbourg Alsace before the defeat in Lens.
The Northerners themselves are also a factor in PSG’s struggles given their relentless pursuit which has included an incredible 10-game winning streak at Stade Bollaert this season. There’s also the matter of post-World Cup freshness, with PSG set to rest a number of star names while Bayern Munich will return to domestic action after being fully rested.
With four games against beaten opponents ahead of the UCL’s return, Galtier and his men cannot afford to let this malaise deepen any further.
