The new UEFA Champions League format has been a nightmare for Paris Saint-Germain. The reigning French champions drew the most difficult eight matches in the league phase of the tournament, and that has proven out as PSG has won only one of the first five matches.
If the league phase ended right now, PSG would crash out of the tournament, and due to the new format, they wouldn’t even go to the UEFA Europa League. They would be out of European competition altogether.
PSG’s Remaining Champions League Matches
PSG will travel to RB Salzburg on December 10, host Manchester City on January 22, and wrap up the league phase away at VfB Stuttgart on January 29. The match you won’t want to miss is PSG vs. Manchester City. Both teams are struggling, and that match could decide who advances and who will shockingly crash out of the tournament. It could be one of the biggest sports events of 2024, right up there with UEFA Euro 2024, the Paris Olympics, and the Tour de France 2024.
Changes PSG Must Make
The issue that keeps repeating this season in the Champions League is the lack of goals. PSG is creating plenty of chances, but for some reason, they can’t score. In five Champions League matches, PSG has only scored two goals, with a third coming from an own-goal. The return of Gonçalo Ramos at striker should help solve that problem. He is the prototypical striker who is great in the air and always seems to find himself in the right place for a tap-in goal.
Luis Enrique needs to be a bit more ambitious and creative as well. The false nine has proven to be ineffective in the Champions League. The manager would do well to implement Randal Kolo Muani and Désiré Doué into the starting lineup or as substitutions early in the second half. Both are incredible talents who could provide goals if given the opportunity and freedom to do so.
Set-Piece Nightmare
The remaining three teams that PSG will play in the Champions League will know exactly how to score against them. From Arsenal FC to FC Bayern Munich, teams know that they can exploit PSG on set pieces. Not only is PSG’s backline unable to manmark and make simple clearances, but Gianluigi Donnarumma and Matvey Safonov have both shown that they are not physical or confident enough on set pieces. Donnarumma was abysmal against Arsenal, and recently, Safonov failed to punch away a corner that led to a goal against Bayern Munich. With City and Erling Haaland still to come, this is something Luis Enrique needs to address on the training ground.
Prediction
The match against Salzburg is an absolute must-win for PSG. They can’t just get a draw; they need a win, preferably by a few goals, to boost their confidence. PSG is the better team, and I think they’ll get it done. Home against City will be difficult, but if you give PSG a draw there and then a difficult win away at Stuttgart, that’s seven points to add to the four they already have, which should be just enough to get to the knockout stage.
