After all these years, PSG still do not understand how to succeed at the top

“T rust the process” has been a popular refrain on social media this season. Arsenal were patient with Mikel Arteta and are now being rewarded. At PSG, the hope was that the arrival of Luís Campos as sporting advisor and the “end of bling-bling” culture – as president Nasser Al-Khelaifi put it – would produce a dramatic shift in the club’s fortunes. But was their new process ever worth trusting?

PSG’s 1-0 home defeat to Lyon on Sunday night was their eighth in 2023, having been undefeated under Christophe Galtier in 2022. The “hangover” their three forwards experienced after an emotionally draining World Cup has accelerated a downturn that had been under way for some time.

Although an astute game-to-game strategist, Galtier is not tactically innovative enough to compete with the game’s leading managers. At his previous clubs – Nice, Lille and Saint-Étienne – he was adept at nullifying opponents but rarely at imposing his own ideas and outplaying rivals. Things are different at PSG. Galtier cannot wait for opponents to attack; he must build a side that is capable of picking apart the organised units he faces in Ligue 1, while also being able to outsmart equally talented teams in Europe.

Galtier’s plan amounts to little more than throwing a group of expensive forwards together and letting them figure it out for themselves. His 3-4-3 formation – which morphed into a 4-4-2 diamond before Neymar’s latest season-ending injury in February – resulted in a disconnect between his three forwards, who effectively had free roles, and the rest of the team, who were organised in a way that made up for that largesse.

Initially, with Neymar in unplayable form, their individual quality told. A strong Lille side were demolished 7-1 in