PSG face PSG in the Champions League as the Qatari project risks faltering

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Paris Saint-Germain has built a reputation for being one of Europe’s most glamorous clubs over the last decade, although without ever winning the Champions League title so coveted by its Qatari owners.

But now a team without superstars is drifting dangerously towards mediocrity and is in danger of early elimination from the continent’s elite club competition.

PSG face Red Bull Salzburg in Austria on Tuesday and must win if they do not want to be eliminated from the new-look Champions League before the knockout phase.

The top 24 teams at the end of the league stage advance to the knockout stages, but the French champions currently sit in 25th place with just four points and three goals scored after five games.

Ten points could be needed to progress and Luis Enrique’s side still have tough games ahead of them against Manchester City and Stuttgart, meaning the pressure is on in Salzburg.

PSG, runners-up in 2020 and semi-finalists last season, have not been eliminated from the Champions League before the knockout stages since 2004-05, when their biggest name was Portuguese striker Pedro Miguel Pauleta.

Since its landmark takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, PSG fans have become accustomed to seeing glamorous players in their team, from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani to Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe’s departure after last season marked a change in policy as PSG decided to focus on building a new team with talented but untested young players.

Players such as Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves and Bradley Barcola, all aged between 18 and 22, are now regulars in Luis Enrique’s team, while French winger Ousmane Dembele is probably the most recognizable face.

The change in approach hasn’t stopped PSG from remaining five points clear at the top of Ligue 1 despite draws in their last two games.

However, their performances in Europe were subpar and often simply mediocre as they struggled to compete against the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

Apparently fans aren’t too keen, with empty seats now a common sight at many PSG home games at the 48,000-seat Parc des Princes – which is particularly worrying at a time when the club is exploring the possibility of a much larger new building build soil in the suburbs.

Without the explosive pace of Mbappe, the skill of Neymar or the charisma of Ibrahimovic, much of PSG football under Luis Enrique this season has been monotonous, even boring.

This all raises questions about the future direction of a club that has established itself as one of the biggest sports brands in the world in recent years.

“Dream less big” was a headline in the sports daily L’Equipe last week, based on the club motto “Dream Bigger”.

“Is PSG beginning a decline?” asked another headline in the same publication, and it will be impossible not to believe that is the case if they fail in the Champions League.

“PSG is the team that scores the most goals and concedes the fewest goals in Ligue 1. It’s more difficult in the Champions League,” said Luis Enrique after the 0-0 draw in Auxerre on Friday.

“We are going to Salzburg with the goal of winning and scoring goals. We don’t have a safety net, but that’s our goal.”

Luis Enrique knows he will find himself increasingly in the spotlight if results in Europe don’t improve.

In recent days there have been reports of disputes developing between the Spaniard and senior players who are said to be unhappy with his management style.

There is also uncertainty over the future of football director Luis Campos, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

However, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi stands by Luis Enrique, telling L’Equipe: “We have a short, medium and long-term strategy and I have full confidence in the coach and the players.”

“Our project has a solid foundation and we will continue to build on it.”

However, those fundamentals will be far less solid if PSG do not make rapid progress in the Champions League from Tuesday.

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