Undisputed leader of Ligue 1 before the World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain, still at the top of the French championship, has lost much of its luster. Since the end of the World Cup in Qatar and the resumption of matches at the end of December 2022, the performances of Christophe Galtier’s men have no longer lived up to the expectations of the club, which has been deprived of Kylian Mbappé, who has since been injured. 1er FEBRUARY. According The Team, Lionel Messi was injured on Wednesday February 8 during the defeat of the Parisians in Marseille in the Coupe de France. He too could forfeit the knockout round of the Champions League on February 14, at the Parc des Princes, against Bayern Munich. Here are some figures revealing PSG’s current bad patch.
30% of matches lost after the World Cup
Since the resumption of the championship after the World Cup, the watchmaking industry of Paris Saint-Germain, which had not lost since March 20, 2022 against Monaco (3-0), has stalled. Despite his first two defeats in Ligue 1 – 3-1 at Lens (17e day, the 1er January), then 1-0 in Rennes (19e day, January 15) – the capital club is still leader of Ligue 1, followed, at eight points, by Marseille and the Sang et Or. But in the game the Parisians are hardly convincing. The players of Christophe Galtier, eliminated in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France at the Vélodrome (2-1), Wednesday February 8, have been beaten three times in ten official matches played since December 28, 2022.
11 goals conceded in ten games
Since the post-World Cup recovery in Qatar, the Paris Saint-Germain defense has been particularly feverish. PSG, deprived in particular of Presnel Kimpembe, injured before the World Cup, conceded eleven goals in ten games, all official competitions combined. In January, the only two teams that failed to shake the nets of the Parisian club were Angers (2-0), the bottom side of Ligue 1, and Pays de Cassel (0-7), which plays in regional 1, the sixth French division. Unusual defensive feverishness in Ligue 1 this season. Before the World Cup in Qatar, PSG were beaten, on average, only 0.72 times per game.
1.57 goals per game in Ligue 1
Among the current leaders of the five major European championships (Bayern Munich, in Germany; Arsenal, in England; Barcelona, in Spain; Naples, in Italy; and therefore Paris), the French club displays one of the two attacks the least prolific since the end of the World Cup in Qatar. With an average of 1.57 goals per game in Ligue 1, he is just ahead of the Catalan club (1.5), far behind the average of Napoli (2.33) or the Gunners (2). A result that contrasts with the particularly prolific start to the season for Parisian players. Before the international break, the capital club were averaging 2.86 goals per game in the league, one of the most effective attacks on the continent.
25 achievements for Kilian Mbappé
With the approach of the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on Tuesday February 14, the absence of Kilian Mbappé, PSG’s top scorer, with 25 goals in all competitions this season, is a bad omen. Especially in European competition, where the 24-year-old was formidable, with seven goals and three assists, an involvement in 62.5% of Parisian goals. In previous seasons, PSG paid dearly for the unavailability of the French striker: 2-0 defeats at Manchester City in 2021, 2-1 defeat at Leipzig in 2020. His partners had however managed to beat (3-0) Real Madrid at home in 2019.
An injured star, and doubt sets in
The shadow of injury often hangs over PSG stars as Champions League knockout games approach. In 2018, 2019 and 2021, it was Neymar who was sorely missed by PSG during these decisive meetings. In 2018, without the Brazilian in the second leg of the round of 16, against Real Madrid, Paris had been eliminated. In 2019, Neymar was absent in the first and second legs of the round of 16 against Manchester United, and PSG fell by the wayside. In his absence, Paris had however managed to overcome Barcelona in the round of 16 in 2021 (before being eliminated in the semi-finals by Manchester City).
This time it’s Kilian Mbappé, victim of a muscle tear in the thigh on 1er February against Montpellier, who will miss the call. For the fourth time in five years, Paris will therefore approach the final stages of the Champions League without one of its executives. Only the 2019-2020 European campaign had spared the stars of the capital club, which then climbed to the final, losing 1-0 to the same Bayern Munich.
Latest tile for PSG: according to The Team, Lionel Messi injured his hamstrings on Wednesday, February 8, during the defeat in Marseille. He will be out of Saturday’s game at Monaco, and his presence is doubtful for the February 14 clash against Bayern Munich.