PSG Struggles Without Mbappé, Champions League Pressure Mounts

AFP/APP

Paris: Kylian Mbappe was always going to leave an enormous void when he left Paris Saint-Germain, and the French side are struggling in this season’s Champions League without the goals of their former star.

While Mbappe is now at Real Madrid after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven seasons in Paris, his old club entertain Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in a crucial game in their European campaign.

PSG are misfiring in this new-look Champions League, with just four points from three games, despite starting with kind home fixtures against Girona and PSV Eindhoven either side of a trip to Arsenal.

Luis Enrique’s team beat Girona 1-0 only thanks to a late own-goal, despite 26 attempts during that game.

That was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in a performance which suggested a rejuvenated Paris side are now a long way from being contenders to win European club football’s greatest prize.

Then came a 1-1 draw against PSV, another game in which they managed 26 attempts and in which they paid a price for poor finishing.

PSG need only finish in the top 24 places in this 36-team league in order to reach the play-off round, and it seems reasonable to suggest that two wins from their remaining five fixtures may be enough to ensure that.

However, failure to beat Atletico would leave the Ligue 1 champions in an uncomfortable position with their next game away to Bayern Munich.

“It is the worst group,” Luis Enrique said after the game against PSV in reference to his team’s fixtures, with Red Bull Salzburg, Manchester City and VfB Stuttgart also still to come.

“We need to be prepared to improve what we can and keep going. But yes, it is difficult and of course I am worried.”

The Qatar-owned club are coping just fine without Mbappe in Ligue 1, as they sit six points clear at the top of the table having scored 29 goals in 10 matches.

Mbappe netted 44 times in 48 appearances last season, even if he often struggled to produce his best form.

Nevertheless, PSG’s difficulties in front of goal in the Champions League date back to last season’s semi-finals when Mbappe was still there.

They were favourites to beat Borussia Dortmund, but lost 2-0 on aggregate. PSG had a grand total of 45 attempts on goal across the two legs and failed to score.