Rudderless Paris Saint-Germain Reach Halfway Point in Ligue 1 Wilderness

So far this season Paris Saint-Germain have done, at best, what is required of them and nothing more. 

Their muddled, unfocused efforts have been sufficient to keep them in the title race, secure a Coupe de la Ligue quarter-final place and progress to the knockout stage of the Champions League.

These are the absolute minimum expectations for a club of Paris’ lofty aspirations, and manager Unai Emery could count himself fortunate to have retained his position thus far. After all, Antoine Kombouare was dismissed with PSG in a better position than Emery’s side are now. 

A 5-0 thrashing of bottom-placed Lorient marked the halfway point of the Ligue 1 season and allowed Paris to reel in league leaders Nice who could only draw at Bordeaux. 

Paris remain well off the pace, though, with Monaco and Les Aiglons three and five points ahead, respectively.

Olympique Lyonnais, expected to be one of Paris’ few title rivals before the season, remain five points further in arrears but retain a game in hand with which to close the gap.

If OL are awarded the points for their halted match against Metz, they will be within a single win of pushing Paris out of the Champions League places. Failure to qualify for Europe’s top competition would be an unacceptable failure. 

If not for Marco Verratti and Edinson Cavani’s efforts, Paris would be in yet worse position. 

Verratti remains the finest player in French football and Cavani, at better than a goal per game, is doing his part. They stand more or less alone among team-mates who have consistently underwhelmed. 

It has been a campaign lacking direction, and PSG are a team without identity. Beyond “win the Champions League” it is impossible to discern exactly what France’s capital club are trying to do, and that failure has not simply been limited to the pitch. 

The summer transfer window was an aimless embarrassment. 

The departures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Luiz, icons of Paris’ trophy-laden recent history, demanded an epochal response. 

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