PSG Face an Unusual Problem: Scoring Shortage in Ligue 1

“The situation is both pleasing and irritating,” says the PSG manager. The French club's coach has a complicated relationship with how his team’s league matches unfold. Whenever the Parisians play, one team presses and the other sits back. “I like attacking a low block,” he insists. “I have the most experience with this tactical scenario. I am very respectful of how other teams play. While it differs from our philosophy, I comprehend and embrace it.”

Accepting low blocks isn’t really a choice for PSG; this is their regular experience, a result of the skill gap created by economic disparity. Their quality typically shines through and the defensive wall is broken with varying degrees of difficulty. Yet this term has proven more difficult.

Control of the Ball But Limited Results

The Parisians have maintained 72.5% possession in France's top flight so far this campaign. Against Nice on Saturday, they had dominant ball control and made 760 passes, versus just under 200 for their opponents. By half-time, the Portuguese midfielder had numerous ball contacts – merely six short than the whole Nice squad – but PSG couldn't translate superiority into goals. At halftime, opposition defender Bah, whose header was cleared off the line by a PSG player, had nearly scored.

This match wasn't an exception. The Parisians had tied three of their previous four Ligue 1 games. With 71% ball control against the visiting team, but were reliant on a dying moments Mayulu leveler to earn a draw. Even with 77% of the ball against their midweek opponents in midweek, they only scored once and were unable to win. Almost one third of the way into the season, PSG are only the fifth top scorers in Ligue 1 – after multiple domestic rivals.

Attacking Unit Issues

It is a result of the particular attention that PSG attract, but also shows a genuine problem. Their forwards are not scoring. Ousmane Dembélé’s 29 goals last season helped PSG win Ligue 1 and the European Cup; A young forward scored 14 goals in the league; The talented youngster hit 16 across all tournaments; and Kvaratskhelia scored eight after his January move.

He received the golden ball and, while it is arguable that the French star is indeed the global standout, it is hard to dispute that he was not the best player of the 2024-25 campaign. He's managed only five scores in 12 appearances this season. He suffered a thigh issue while on country representation in last month, which caused a conflict between PSG and the France team that has seen the relationship between the two institutions decline. Dembélé missed around a month and a half of action as a result, but he appears below his best. After the win over Nice, he was seen holding his thigh. “It's very painful,” he told teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Fitness Issues

Luis Enrique says their star can play to face Bayern Munich this week in the European competition but, while he returns to full fitness, other players have to step up. Sadly, Doué is unavailable. The promising talent was also injured in recently. He was recovering to his best when he was struck down with another muscle issue, which is expected to rule him out until January. Kvaratskhelia is a valuable player to his team but he often saves his best performances for the important matches in the Champions League; he is still without a goal in Ligue 1 this season. Their current top scorer, PSG’s leading marksman in all competitions this season, has just one goal in his last eight appearances and is in a fallow period. A player who scores in bursts, the form will certainly come back, but he isn't the solution to be the goalscorer in this expensively assembled PSG attack.

Gonçalo Ramos got the decisive goal against Nice but will he maintain his position in the team?

That was the job assigned to their striker when he arrived in recently. The Portugal striker hit the century of 100 appearances for PSG against Nice, but he has come off the bench in over 50% of those appearances. Having scored nearly half his total after coming on as a substitute, he has effectively embraced the role of the “finisher”, partly because of his limited contribution when starting, but primarily because of his coach's hesitation to field a traditional striker. “What explains my bench scoring record? The simple reason is I'm substituted in more often than I begin games,” quipped Ramos after the match.

Critical Moment

As scoring has decreased across the frontline, his late decisive goal has given his coach something to consider. The centre-forward was unsuccessful with earlier attempts before taking his fourth and deciding the game, but the fact that the team's clearest openings came to him is telling. He's a natural goal scorer and that is what PSG were investing in when they invested €65m. “He's a crucial squad member for us because he is always ready for every match, regardless of his starting status,” said their coach. “Short cameos from the striker are valuable time.” It may be time for the super-sub to play a starring role.

French League Matches

• Rennes 4-1 Strasbourg
• Lens 3-0 Lorient
• Lille 1-0 Angers
• Nantes 0-2 Metz
• Toulouse 0-0 Le Havre
• Brest 0-0 Lyon
• PSG 1-0 Nice
• Monaco 0-1 Paris FC
• Auxerre 0-1 Marseille

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