Paris Saint-Germain are through to the last 16 of the Champions League and top of Ligue 1, but there’s still murmurs of discontent at the Parc des Princes according to L’Equipe and Diario AS. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have failed to play the football expected of them despite having the best squad in their history.
PSG’s defensive record, especially, is suspect, leading many players like Achraf Hakimi to privately complain about the team’s lack of defensive structure. Hakimi, formerly of Real Madrid, shone at both Borussia Dortmund and Internazionale playing as a wing-back in a three-at-the-back system. Having started his PSG career well – he joined from Internazionale in the summer – things have dropped off in recent weeks.
One of the solutions put to Pochettino has been to change PSG’s system to a 3-5-2 that would get the best out of both Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. But Sergio Ramos’ injury problems have made that different. It’s logical that Ramos could play in that three beside Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe, but without him it doesn’t make as much sense. In the face of this, Hakimi will continue to struggle and have his defensive vulnerabilities exposed.
