Paris Saint-Germain have been one of the top women’s clubs in Europe in recent years and are the only side to have broken up the 18-year domestic dominance of OL Lyonnes by going unbeaten to win the French Première Ligue title in 2020-21. But since that success, they have finished at least 10 points behind their rivals three times.
The Parisian side have also been mainstays in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) over the last decade, making four semifinal appearances in the last six seasons, while finishing runners-up in 2015 and 2017. But last season, PSG were eliminated by Juventus in the second qualifying round — having lost 5-2 on aggregate — and they have suffered two defeats from two games so far this campaign against Wolfsburg (4-0) and Real Madrid (2-1), with a trip to Manchester United to come this week.
After years of suggesting they could take the next step, something has felt different of late and it feels like things are going in the other direction. So what is going on in Paris?
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A talent exodus
The biggest reason for PSG’s downturn in form has been the massive talent exodus at the club, as they have lost key players in consecutive transfer windows.
The club seem unable to retain their stars and, this summer, all-time top goal scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto (OL Lyonnes), USWNT star Korbin Shrader (OL Lyonnes) and midfield maestro Grace Geyoro (London City Lionesses) all left. While, in the previous few years, players like Christiane Endler, Kadidiatou Diani (both OL Lyonnes), Sara Däbritz (Real Madrid), Sandy Baltimore and Ashley Lawrence (both Chelsea) also departed.
PSG have lost a lot of their talent to direct rivals OL Lyonnes, and have struggled to convert successful loan spells into permanent moves as well, with Malawi striker Tabitha Chawinga the best example. After leading the goals and assists chart for PSG in the 2023-24 season on loan from Wuhan Jianghan University, Chawinga joined OL Lyonnes the next season, leaving the Parisiens scrambling to find a source of goals again.
If you look closely at the PSG squad, there has been a significant drop in quality over recent years. There is still talent in the likes of Sakina Karchaoui, Griedge Mbock Bathy and Rasheedat Ajibade, but a lot of their top players have joined rivals across Europe, which has hurt their ability to compete.
A more direct tactical approach
While squad turnover is common in women’s football, losing those key players has seriously impacted PSG’s style of play this season.
Top clubs usually want to dominate their opponents by keeping hold of the ball and controlling possession, but with the arrivals of Ajibade, Jennifer Echegini and Merveille Kanjinga over the last two seasons, PSG have shifted to a more direct style of play under manager Paulo Parente.
In the graphic above we see how a team’s style of play compares to last season, which highlights any changes in the last 12 months. A higher number of passes-per-possession signals a tendency to play with control, while the directness highlights how quickly a side tend to go vertical.
PSG’s passes-per-possession number in the UWCL has dropped significantly; meanwhile, rivals OL Lyonnes continue to be a controlled possession side but have added a zap of verticality to their game this season under former Barcelona manager Jonathan Giráldez.
The drop in quality of PSG’s possession play is evident in the numbers. Their possession share has fallen from 62% last season to 56% this season, while their pass-completion rate has gone from 82% to 78%, dropping below 80% in a single campaign for the first time in the last four years.
PSG have struggled to stitch possession sequences together and hold on to the ball against opponents when building from the back, which has forced them to go direct instead. That much is evident from their long-ball share, which has gone up from 12.6% in the 2024-25 season to 17% now. Indeed, their 104 long-balls-per-game this season is a sharp rise from just 77 a year ago.
Defensive weaknesses
The outflow of talent has also affected the team’s defense this season. While Parente’s side have held firm domestically — with six of their eight conceded goals coming in the 6-1 defeat to OL Lyonnes in September — they have looked poor when facing up against top attacks, conceding four against Wolfsburg and two against Real Madrid in the UWCL.
Until 2021, PSG’s defense had been led by current Barcelona star Irene Paredes and the center back partnership between the Spain defender and Paulina Dudek was crucial in them conceding just four goals from 22 games on their way to the title.
Dudek continues to be in the squad, but injuries haven’t helped her, and now the defense has looked even more susceptible to errors in big games.
Former OL Lyonnes defender Mbock has struggled with her own injuries, Olga Carmona‘s arrival from Real Madrid this summer was positive but the Spain international left back has struggled to cope defensively this season, while former Atlético Madrid forward Ajibade has had to fill in at right back for a couple of games as well.
Meanwhile, current No. 1 goalkeeper Mary Earps has struggled as well — especially against tougher opposition. Indeed, in seven games across all competitions this season, Earps has conceded 14 goals and has looked out of her depth at times. Earps’ save percentage (53%) is her lowest across any of the last six seasons and her ability to deal with crosses been poor. Her cross-collection percentage (3.3%) is among the lowest in the league this season and opponents have exploited her weakness in coming off the line in big games this season.
The Euro 2022-winning goalkeeper will be up against her former side Manchester United this week with an opportunity to break the cycle in the UWCL this season. But with plenty of focus on her after her controversial book launch, and PSG in a fight for form, an off-pitch distraction is the last thing that the French side need.
