Two games and still without a win in the league is not the start that Paris Saint-Germain’s owners expected when they spent massively on new players this summer.
On Sunday night, PSGG were held to a 0-0 draw Sunday night by Ajaccio, a performance that is already heaping pressure on PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta and Thiago Silva, Ancelotti seemed devoid of ideas about how to break down Ajaccio. His attacking trio of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Nene and Jeremy Menez lacked a focal point, something that did not get any easier when Lavezzi was sent off in the 59th minute.
“The exclusion of Lavezzi was fair, I was a little upset,” Ancelotti told France Football.
“There was a lot of aggression towards Ajaccio. In addition, we played the first half with a bit of complacency.
“This is a disappointment because we have the quality, the skill. But there is a good balance on the pitch.”
One change Ancelotti can make is to change where Javier Pastore plays. Ancelotti has Pastore playing too deep. He should be playing closer to the forwards in more of a playmaking role, instead of in the deeper role that Ancelotti has him in.
Now Paris Saint-Germain might go on a long winning streak that wraps up the league by Christmas, but at the moment, PSG and Ancelotti are having problems integrating all the new players into his line-up.
In Ligue 1 this weekend Marseille moved into Ligue 1’s top two with a 2-0 win over Sochaux thanks to goals from Andre-Pierre Gignac and Rod Fanni.
Marseille had to wait until the 54th minute despite dominating the first half, but went ahead through Gignac, who netted the first with a powerful header over Sochaux defender Mathieu Peybernes.
Gignac should have made it two moments later before somehow missed an empty net from close range. Fanni poked home from close range in the 90th minute to ensure Marseille were not made to pay for a succession of missed chances in the opening half hour.
Bordeaux stayed in the top four after a 1-0 win over Stade Rennes, courtesy of Ludovic Obraniak’s 75th-minute winner. Earlier, Henri Saivet missed a penalty for the home side after Rennes’ defender John Boye was harshly adjudged to have fouled Yoan Gouffran in the box. In a tense second half, chaotic scenes saw Kana-Biyik block a shot before Obraniak followed up to smash home the goal for Bordeaux.
