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“It’s both beautiful and frustrating,” says the team's head coach. The PSG boss has a tricky relationship with how his team’s league matches unfold. When PSG are involved, one team attacks and the other sits back. “I like attacking a low block,” he insists. “I have the most experience with this tactical scenario. I respect opponents' playing styles. It is a different kind of football from ours, it’s atypical, but I understand and accept it.”

Accepting low blocks isn't optional for PSG; it's their constant situation, due to the talent imbalance created by economic disparity. Their quality typically shines through and the defensive wall is broken with varying degrees of difficulty. But it has been tougher this season.

Game Dominance But Insufficient Results

PSG have averaged nearly three-quarters of possession in the French league so far this season. Against Nice on Saturday, they had 76.5% of the ball and made numerous passes, compared to just 182 for Nice. At the interval, their playmaker had 90 touches of the ball – only six less than the whole Nice squad – but PSG failed to convert their control. At halftime, opposition defender Bah, whose goal-bound attempt was blocked by a PSG player, had been the most dangerous.

This performance wasn't isolated. The Parisians had tied three out of four Ligue 1 games. They had 71% possession against the visiting team, but were dependent on a last-minute tying goal from Mayulu to secure one point. Although possessing 77% possession against another French side in midweek, they managed just one goal and were finally tied. Approximately 33% of the way into the season, PSG are just fifth in scoring in Ligue 1 – after Marseille, Lille, Monaco and Strasbourg.

Attacking Unit Struggles

This stems from the particular attention that PSG garner, but also indicates a real issue. Their goal scorers are underperforming. The French international's 29 goals last season helped PSG win Ligue 1 and the Champions League; A young forward scored 14 goals in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 in all competitions; and Their winter signing scored eight after his mid-season arrival.

Dembélé won the golden ball and, while it is contestable that the national team player is indeed the best player in the world, it is hard to dispute that he was not the outstanding individual of the previous term. He's recorded merely five strikes in 12 matches this season. He suffered a thigh issue while on country representation in early autumn, which caused a blame game between PSG and the France team that has seen the relationship between the two institutions decline. Dembélé missed around six weeks of action as a result, but he appears below his best. Post-match against their rivals, he was seen clutching his hamstring. “It's very painful,” he told fellow player Hakimi.

Player Availability

Their manager says their star can play to face their European opponents this week in the European competition but, while he returns to full fitness, teammates must contribute. It won’t be Doué. The former Rennes forward was also injured in September. He was recovering to his best when he was struck down with another leg problem, which is expected to rule him out until next month. The Georgian is a massive asset to his team but he often saves his best performances for the big occasions in the continental competition; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Another forward, PSG’s leading marksman in all competitions this season, has just one score in his last eight appearances and is in a dry spell. A player who scores in bursts, the scoring will surely resume, but he can’t be expected to be the goalscorer in this expensively assembled PSG attack.

Gonçalo Ramos got the decisive goal against Nice but will he keep his place in the team?

This was the role assigned to their striker when he signed in last year. The Portugal striker achieved the landmark of 100 appearances for PSG against Nice, but he has come off the bench in the majority of those appearances. Recording 18 of his 38 goals after being introduced from the bench, he has effectively embraced the role of the “finisher”, partly because of his limited contribution when starting, but mainly owing to his coach's hesitation to begin with a conventional No 9. “What explains my bench scoring record? Basically because I'm substituted in more often than I begin games,” quipped Ramos after the match.

Decisive Period

As scoring has decreased across the attacking unit, Ramos’ last-gasp winner has given his manager food for thought. The centre-forward failed to convert several opportunities before converting his next and winning the match, but the fact that PSG’s best chances came to him is telling. He's a natural goal scorer and that is what PSG were acquiring when they made a significant investment. “He is a very important player for us because he is always ready for every match, regardless of his starting status,” said the manager. “Even brief appearances from Gonçalo are quality minutes.” Perhaps now is the opportunity for the super-sub to play a starring role.

French League Outcomes

• 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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