the wanderings of Donnarumma, gaps in impact and on the offensive level… PSG showed its limits against Arsenal

Less lively for two weeks, the capital club conceded its first defeat of the season on Tuesday against Arsenal (0-2), during its first big shock of the season.

The new formula of the Champions League offered a particularly tough schedule to PSG. The advantage is that he did not have to wait until spring to experience his first test and the defeat suffered against Arsenal (0-2) leaves time to review his copy. One thing is certain: to claim the Top 8 and therefore direct qualification for the round of 16, the capital club will have to do much better.

A barren possession

Since his arrival in the summer of 2023, Luis Enrique has constantly repeated that his objective was to “build a team” with “a gaming identity”. The Spanish technician placed the emphasis on counter-pressing (recovering the ball just after losing it) and wanted to preserve the appetite for possession of the ball. Against Arsenal, PSG held it 64% of the time and often gave the impression of not really knowing what to do with it once they arrived in the opposing camp.

We had to wait until the 68th minute to see a shot from an attacker, signed Kang-In Lee. Above all, he lacked presence and suggestions behind the defense. The same Lee, established as false No. 9, deserted the penalty area. When a midfielder found himself facing the play, the outcome was systematically a pass either sideways or backwards, since the attacking players were stopped, waiting to receive the ball at their feet.

This passivity was also felt in the defensive phase, where he lacked the impact, particularly in the midfielders, to compete with an opponent used to fighting in the Premier League. “It’s not possible to win a match without winning duels. We were far from being in our match from the first minute”admitted Luis Enrique after the match, asking that he be considered responsible for the setback, rather than targeting one of his players.

An obvious weakness in the air and from a standstill

True copies. Both goals conceded at the Emirates Stadium came from set pieces. On the first, Gianluigi Donnarumma recalled how he was not comfortable in aerial outings, coming out out of time against Kai Havertz with his back to goal. Despite his great solidity on his line, the Italian goalkeeper cost his team dearly for the third time since last season (after the trip to Newcastle and the hosting of Barça).

On the second goal, the defensive placement left something to be desired, against a team which has made these phases of play a specialty, relying on the work of French coach Nicolas Jover. “All teams have strong points and weak points and they took advantage of our weaknesses. We conceded two goals from crosses”conceded Captain Marquinhos at the microphone of Canal+.

A staggering lack of efficiency

Luis Enrique repeats at every post-match press conference that his team deserved better and that the main thing is to create the chances. This is not enough to make us forget that his PSG almost no longer scores in the Champions League. Tuesday, he remained silent during a group stage match for the first time since November 2015 and a trip to Real Madrid (0-1).

If we include the semi-finals of the previous edition, he has only scored one goal in his last four C1 matches for a staggering total of nine goals, including two against Arsenal on Tuesday. Over the year 2024, the Parisians have hit the posts 13 times in the Champions League, which is at least six times more than any other team over the period.