Not many teams would have gone into St. James’ Park on Wednesday night and escaped with a win, and that was the case for Paris Saint-Germain as arrogance and costly mistakes led to a convincing defeat.
On this episode of PSG Talking, I’m thrilled to be joined by long-time contributor Carl-Oscar Kallstrom to break down PSG’s 4-1 loss at the hands of Newcastle on matchday two of the UEFA Champions League.
First, we begin with Luis Enrique’s head-scratching starting lineup, which saw Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Gonçalo Ramos, and Randal Kolo Muani all on the pitch at the same time. The 4-2-4 formation left the midfield thin, with only Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaïre-Emery left to fight for possession, and the defense suffered as well. We debate why Luis Enrique went with this lineup and why he didn’t change when he realized things weren’t working.
Next, we discuss Marquinhos, whose mistake led to Newcastle’s first goal. Is it time for the PSG captain to be benched? If so, who should take his place, and what defensive formation should PSG play?
We also break down Zaïre-Emery’s performance and question whether he is one of the most important players in the squad. We also wonder what is wrong with Mbappé and what his body language against Newcastle might be telling us.
Lastly, we answer some of your questions from social media and share why we remain positive about Paris Saint-Germain this season.
As always, thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe and rate the show wherever you download your podcasts. We’re also on Substack! Subscribe for free today to access premium PSG content.
