PSG is a long way off from becoming European elite
PSG will continue to struggle in the UEFA Champions League and it does not look like Thomas Tuchel will be able to change it. The Parisien team has won the Ligue 1 title four times in the last five years. However, they are yet to deliver a stellar campaign in Europe.
The draw puts PSG in a very tough group alongside Napoli and Liverpool. The first match against last season's finalist was supposed to be a huge test for the new-look team under Tuchel.
The 3-2 scoreline really flattered the French side as they should have lost by a bigger margin. Despite the presence of its stellar frontline, Liverpool created the better chances and was atop in almost all departments. Fortunately for the Ligue 1 side, Alphonse Areola picked a good night to have one of his best games in a PSG shirt.
PSG's midfield is not UCL standard
Tuchel had started with a 4-3-3 formation against the Reds with Marquinhos deployed as an emergency defensive midfielder. This was due to Marco Veratti's continued absence.
Alongside Angel di Maria and Adrien Rabiot, Marquinhos struggled against Liverpool's more fluidic lineup. The midfielders' inability to track runs by Liverpool's midfielders forced the defense into making last-ditch tackles
The options available in the middle for Tuchel will not scare Europe's top guns. Lassana Diarra and youngster Cyrille Nkunku were the only other options available.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown just how important the midfield is in Europe’s premier competition. With the exception of Veratti, no other midfielder in the current PSG side looks capable of playing for either of the Spanish giants.
Javier Pastore, Thiago Motta, and Giovani Lo Celso moved on in the summer. This left PSG’s midfield short in numbers and quality. Incredibly, no new player was added to the midfield. This was in spite of the rumors concerning the likes of Julian Weigl and N'Golo Kante.
Although starting Diarra would have made better sense than Di Maria, the paucity of classy midfield options will be a concern.
PSG's squad planning has been terrible
With a huge amount of money spent on players since the Qatari takeover, there are still big questions around the squad. The team's balance has been affected by the obsession with glamour signings. However, some critical areas in the team have suffered as a result of the lopsided recruitment.
For a supposedly top side, PSG has some very average fullbacks. Tuchel had reportedly identified this as a problem area but due to FFP restrictions, the club couldn't fix it. Juan Bernat was brought in to replace Yuri Berchiche. However, he is not an improvement over the equally poor Layvin Kurzawa. Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold had him on toast all game. He also sloppily gave away a penalty.
For all their attacking prowess, right-backs Thomas Meunier and Dani Alves are also suspect defensively. In hindsight, the decision to take up the Mbappe option was a wrong move. While his quality is not in doubt, there were more important weaknesses in the team that €180m would have fixed.
It's almost certain that one of Neymar or Mbappe will be at Real Madrid in the not-too-distant future. The funds from this would go a long way towards fixing the team's glaring issues.
Tuchel will need time/money to change the PSG-in-Europe narrative
The club has gone down the throw-money-at-the-problem route. Supposedly genius coaches who have European pedigree: Carlo Ancelotti and Emery have failed to deliver the much-desired European status.
Tuchel is very much on the opposite end of the spectrum from his predecessors. He is still very much an unknown element when it comes to delivering silverware for a top team. However, he is one of the brighter young minds in Europe.
He has a set system as all other top coaches do. Like other coaches though, he will need time and the right tools to deliver. The January window is a notoriously bad time to get in new talent for the top teams.
Therefore, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will need to show restraint and let the German implement his ideas. Without FFP restrictions next summer, the needed changes may be made. Until then, Tuchel will have to make do with what he has. Unfortunately, what he has doesn’t look good enough to deliver Champions League glory yet.