PSG in crisis? Not quite.
Things really aren’t good for Luis Enrique before his back-to-back European champions begin their season.
PSG kick-off their campaign against Europa League winners Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on August 12.
However, in their second-to-last friendly before the match, they were well beaten 3-0 by recently relegated Real Mallorca.
PSG’s incredibly thin squad before Premier League double
And to make matters worse, Luis Enrique had just eight first team players in his 23-man squad, and only three of them were regulars last season.
Those big names were Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Safonov and Willian Pacho, but 15 of the light squad played for last season’s reserve team.
Due to their status as Europe’s best, they’ve also had plenty of their key men in long runs at the World Cup, meaning their holidays still aren’t over.
Fabian Ruiz played in Spain’s final win over Argentina, while there were a handful of players in France’s semi-final loss.
Yet even with the caveats, the French press weren’t impressed, with L’Equipe summarising: “They were defending far below the required standards, even at this time of the season.”
Their French troops are expected to return next week in the shape of Dembélé, Hernandez, Barcola, Doué and Zaïre-Emery.
However, they will arrive after a final friendly against Manchester United where the mood could further spiral if things go awry.
PSG transfer news
PSG are also leaving it very late to restructure their squad.
Having pulled out of the race for Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola has also said he won’t renew his contract and wants to sign for Liverpool.
Their sales have now reached over €150million, a record for the Qatari era.
Yet despite Luis Enrique reportedly asking for Rodri, it looks like the club won’t be going back to their Galactico ways.
Instead their in negotiations with Ajax academy starlet Mika Godts and yet another goalkeeper in Parma and Japan’s Zion Suzuki.
They also continue to be linked to World Cup winner Ferran Torres, who isn’t playing down the links.
“I’m under contract with Barcelona, but in football, you never know what can happen,” he said on NBC
“I’m taking my time to make the right decision.
“For now, all I know is that I have to be with them (Barcelona) on August 12th to train, so we’ll see what happens.
“You never know because everything can change in an instant, I have to be prepared for anything.”
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