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Soccer

Why have PSG made a sluggish start to the season?

Based on the insane amount of cash Qatar-owned Paris Saint Germain have hurled at their squad, th...



Why have PSG made a sluggish s...
Soccer

Why have PSG made a sluggish start to the season?

Based on the insane amount of cash Qatar-owned Paris Saint Germain have hurled at their squad, they should be strolling to the Ligue 1 title year on year.

But this season has been unsatisfactory. The Parisian club have dropped points and drawn four of their first six Ligue 1 matches this season. They also drew their opening Champions League group stage tie against Ajax.

French football writer Philippe Auclair, ruled out the Financial Fair Play restrictions as a reason for the issues at the club, when he joined us on the show ahead of the Champions League match against Barcelona, although the astronomical wage club caused by attracting big name players is an issue.

But he also added that PSG have a tradition of making slow starts to seasons even since the money rolled in from the gulf.

However, Auclair notes another undercurrent in the early stages of 2014/15.

"But this season is a little bit different. You feel that it's not quite a matter of finding the right rhythm or the right tempo, but rather that they are problems within the team that will take a lot more time to solve," said Auclair. 

He listed the issues at play including an over-reliance on the often mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as question marks over manager Laurent Blanc's competence.

"[There are claims] that some players have preferential treatment and that Laurent Blanc is not as tactically astute as he should be, that he's not willing to take the tough decisions, that basically he's been found out at this kind of level," said Auclair, who explained that Blanc is not a hands-on manager and although he tends to have a strong short-term effect, it diminishes as time goes on.  

Team spirit has also been questioned with former winger and current AC Milan forward Jeremy Menez's claim that French players are superseded by expensive foreign imports under the current regime.

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