Paris Saint-Germain have failed to win the Ligue 1 championship three times in the Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) era. Each time, it takes an extraordinary achievement from the opponents to overcome the Parisian team in the rankings.
The first time was in 2012, when Montpellier headed the Olivier Giroud, surprised and won the throne, while PSG were then adapting to a new board. Then in 2017, AS Monaco, with young talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho, excelled under Leonardo Jardim. Finally, the 2020-2021 season saw the most intense title race in Ligue 1 in recent years, with Lille winning thanks to the incredible brilliance of Burak Yilmaz.
However, that season was the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, so there were many factors beyond PSG's control. But is there anything different about Ligue 1 this year? Has PSG really regressed to the point of worrying after Mbappe's departure? Based on what has happened in the last 5 matches of the team at Parc des Princes, things are probably like that.
PSG's decline began with the match against Girona in the Champions League, when Luis Enrique's team only beat the La Liga representative thanks to a lucky home counter-time. Next up is the draw with Reims a team with an impressive start. After that, PSG easily overcame Rennes but then lost to Arsenal.
Although it is not an easy task to gain points away from home against Arsenal, PSG's loss is worrying. The Ligue 1 champions had little chance and were completely defeated by Mikel Arteta's strategy. The victory of the Emirates team was much easier than expected from an opponent who is also considered a championship candidate like PSG.
PSG have a chance to regain the joy of victory when they only have to travel to Nice in Ligue 1. They welcomed the return of Gianluigi Donnarumma after injury, along with the return of Ousmane Dembele to the starting lineup, after the conflict between him and Luis Enrique was resolved. In addition, Nice also did not have the best squad due to injuries.
However, what happened on the pitch was completely opposite. Nice, despite giving possession to PSG, had better chances. Even the home team opened the scoring. Despite their best efforts, the capital team only managed to equalize and accepted to return with 1 point.
It is worth noting that Luis Enrique's substitution decisions have shown a serious shortage of PSG's attacking force. The Spaniard took the only striker Randal Kolo Muani off the pitch and replaced him with Lee Kang-in, a creative midfielder rather than a real goalscorer. This clearly shows that PSG's attacking options are not many, a serious problem for a team with huge resources like them.
The departure of Kylian Mbappe and the injury of Goncalo Ramos have left a big gap in the attack. Although Dembele and Bradley Barcola both had a good start to the season, their form is declining. Dembele has never been known for his consistent form, while Barcola are still too young and have scored just five goals in 39 appearances last season.
Luis Enrique may be criticised for his confusing substitution decisions, but does the greater responsibility lie with the club's board? Looking at how PSG let Victor Osimhen lose out on the transfer window, or how Moise Kean moved to Fiorentina for just €12 million, it is difficult to accept that the Parc des Princes side cannot bring in a quality striker at a reasonable price.
With tough games ahead, including Man City and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and a series of tough domestic matches against Strasbourg, Lens and Marseille, the decision not to add a true striker could put PSG in a crisis this season.
