Few European soccer teams have needed the October international break quite like Paris Saint-Germain, who arrive at the pause off the back of a 2-0 loss away at Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League and a 1-1 draw away at OGC Nice in Ligue 1. Isolated as just one week in a longer season, it might not be cause for concern, but enlarge that view to encompass the two games before that -- a 1-1 draw away at Stade de Reims and 3-1 home win over Stade Rennais -- and it shows a run of just one win from four games across all competitions.
That sort of form is concerning for PSG and especially after U.S. Men's International Folarin Balogun helped AS Monaco to hit top spot in Le Championnat in a 2-1 win away at Rennes, which now places them two points ahead of Les Parisiens in the standings. Factor in Les Monegasques' better UCL form with a stunning win over Barcelona and a draw away at Dinamo Zagreb and the signs point to Adi Hutter's side arguably being the form French team at this moment of the campaign.
After winning all five of their first five games this term, Paris have just one win from their last four and Luis Enrique has not only seen his team drop four points domestically but also butted heads with star performer Ousmane Dembele who was dropped for the Champions League loss to Arsenal. The France international was reinstated for the draw with Nice and provided the assist for Nuno Mendes' second half equalizer but the French titleholders were unable to find a winning goal despite bossing possession and creating more chances than Franck Haise's hosts.
"I am absolutely not the type of guy who makes a definitive assessment before the end of the season," said Luis Enrique after the 1-1 draw in Nice. "You grade performances at the end of the season and I think that our early campaign has been very promising. I like what I am seeing. I think that our start to this term has been better than our last one. The most important thing is missing and that is leading Ligue 1 and being competitive across all competitions."
This is Nuno Mendes' first goal of the season 🇵🇹👏 pic.twitter.com/kZKO3EluYh
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 6, 2024
PSG have three points from six in the UCL after going down to the Gunners at Emirates Stadium with PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid up next at Parc des Princes as part of a run of four home games from the next five across domestic and continental duty. The major outlier in that run which starts after the international period with RC Strasbourg Alsace is the game sandwiched in the middle and the only road trip of those five which is way at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille in Le Classique.
Roberto De Zerbi's men have not quite applied the pressure on PSG that many were expecting them to so far but that has come from Monaco and the difference between the two fierce rivals right now is only three points which is hardly insurmountable with ASM two points ahead of Paris. It will be the Italian's first taste of France's most prestigious and heated rivalry with Stade Velodrome -- which is boiling at the best of times -- expected to be at eruption point once more when this one arrives.
One of the two biggest questions for PSG and Luis Enrique while they have time to take stock of this season so far is why they only have two clean sheets from nine games all season which came against lowly Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1 and Champions League debutants Girona which was a narrow win. It also feeds into the second question as those two shutouts came in the French capital yet away form is suddenly problematic with no wins from the last three away from home after a draw at Stade de Reims was followed by the Arsenal loss and the Nice stalemate.
Three or four wins from the next five will be expected with Marseille and Atletico the obvious challenges but an unbeaten run will be the minimum expected of Luis Enrique and his players as they aim to reel Monaco in. The two meetings with Les Monegasques will not arrive until early 2025 when they take place home and away within about one month of each other and until they have been overtaken, they will be the team in PSG's crosshairs more so than OM as we head towards the winter period and the final international break in December.
