The trip to Monaco (this Saturday, 5 p.m.) is always an important moment in the PSG season. The capital club is not always successful on the Rock. ASM is even the team that has beaten him the most in its personal history (45 times in 98 confrontations). His future opponent is not at his best at the moment, as evidenced by this latest draw in Pafos. But the reigning European champion is blowing hot and cold a little more in this first half of the season. He seems less untouchable than last year when he already had a comfortable mattress in the championship.
This is not the case this time. OM are only two points behind and have also beaten the championship leader in their Vélodrome stadium for the first time in Ligue 1 in 14 years. There are signs that are unmistakable. Leonardo Balerdi also recognized this at a press conference yesterday, without claiming the title either. For Luis Enrique, it’s no surprise either. Last season’s crazy season ended in mid-July, only to resume less than a month later.
Find a full squad to qualify for the Champions League
You can feel it, the Parisians are less fit, the fault of a preparation which was not really one. After just three training sessions, they had to face Tottenham in the European Super Cup, then move on to the championship. This leaves traces, both in the bodies and in the legs. Quite a few injuries have already accumulated like with Dembélé, Doué, Hakimi but also Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Ruiz, Joao Neves. Everyone has been in the infirmary at one time or another.
This is also why Luis Enrique is less ambitious in the game. He knows the limits of his group at the moment. However, it is no less demanding. Although he may have shown some signs of weariness here and there, his will to win is still intact. He believes in his players, and continues to think that he does not need reinforcements this winter. The young people who recently arrived will be enough for its rotation with one goal: to become European champions again in the spring. For this, he needs a full complement of staff.
