Paris Saint-Germain could make an unwanted piece of history on Saturday when they tackle Lille in a Ligue 1 clash at Parc des Princes. Unai Emery’s side could lose their third successive match in all competitions – a fate that the capital club have not suffered since 2011, in the early days of the QSI project.
Neymar will not be available due to suspension, while captain Thiago Silva and midfielder Thiago Motta are absent due to injuries. It is an uneasy position for the former Sevilla boss to find himself.
Although comfortably clear at the summit of Ligue 1, such are the standards now demanded of the Parisian outfit, it would plunge them into something of a state of crisis after losing matches against Strasbourg and Bayern Munich already this week.
Head coach Emery has been forced onto the back foot by the media and his demanding president Nasser Al Khelaifi, who spoke of his “disappointment” both at the “result and performance” of PSG in midweek.
The Spaniard has asked people to put his record into the global context of the season to date, yet amid a period of difficult form, which in truth started with a run of unconvincing wins, fans have been reluctant to do this.
Given that PSG have lost only three times in their last 37 competitive matches, it is easy to feel some sympathy for the coach, particularly as they have won 31 of these games.
QSI, meanwhile, sacked their only previous coach to suffer three successive defeats, with Antoine Kombouare axed six years ago despite leading the league at the time. That they lost the title to Montpellier that season should represent a crumb of comfort to their under-fire boss.
Nevertheless, it is a situation that highlights the tightrope that he is walking, with faith in him limited despite a start to the season that had largely been flawless until seven days ago. PSG might have beaten Bayern Munich to top spot in their Champions League group and be nine points clear at the top of Le Championnat, but doubts remain over his abilities to manage this group of big stars and larger egos.
While wins, goals and even trophies have come with apparent ease, Emery has discovered that this does not necessarily equate to a happy squad.
Indeed, the past week appears to have simply been a natural dip in form, perhaps brought about by the intensity of the season to date. An injury to the understatedly important Thiago Motta has combined with a drop in level of previously stellar performers, like Dani Alves and to a lesser extent Neymar, to yield a couple of defeats that are unlikely to have a long-term bearing on PSG’s campaign.
These losses, however, have served to bring back into focus concerns over just how much control the coach has over his squad, the situation behind the scenes having disquieted fans throughout this season.
Emery seems to be second in the chain of command of the team behind world-record signing Neymar, with the Spaniard apparently bowing to his star man’s every whim. Meanwhile, he has struggled to motivate others, such as Angel Di Maria, who have reportedly not been giving anything like their all in training due to a lack of game time.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid man has by no means been pinned to the bench, featuring in all but one league encounter he has been available for, nine of a possible 12 from the outset. This is the type of attitude the club could do without.
Such is the cutthroat nature of the game at Europe’s elite clubs, a defeat on Saturday against an improving Lille side could potentially spell the end for Emery, perhaps not immediately but potentially during the Christmas break, which is now only a fortnight away.
Not a great deal has changed at PSG over the last seven days, yet the board’s relentless obsession with perfection means that Emery is under pressure. It might not be fair, but for better or for worse, that is the reality of being at one of Europe’s biggest sides.
