Paris Saint-Germain Suffer Shock Defeat, Record Worst Ligue 1 Start in 12 Years_Match_Enrique_Fans

In a familiar script, they received an unfamiliar ending. On September 5 Beijing time, Ligue 1 reached its third round, with Paris Saint-Germain hosting Monaco. Marquinhos opened the scoring for the team with a header, but Nacinho quickly equalized, and then Idumbo's shot from a tight angle completed the comeback. When the final whistle blew, PSG suffered a shock 1-2 defeat at home, receiving a stunning blow in their own stadium. After three matches, they had only one point, creating the club's worst Ligue 1 season start since 2012.

Such poor form was completely unexpected. During this run without a win, it has looked extremely unusual for a team that has dominated Ligue 1 for a long time. After the match, Enrique perhaps had no intention of even using the traditional hairdryer treatment and was urgently looking for a fire extinguisher to deal with the situation: "These players really need to receive a severe reprimand." It has been proven that relaxing their vigilance while trying to fight through the league campaign was a foolish choice, and three winless matches have already been enough to sound the alarm for the entire team.

From the course of the match, PSG's problems became increasingly obvious. Kvaratskhelia delivered a cross from the left, and Marquinhos scored the opening goal. However, after taking the lead, PSG seemed to fall into the trap of a passive approach again, casually passing the ball around and assuming that a 1-0 lead would be enough to secure victory. The result was completely different: in the 58th minute, Teze passed from the right and Nacinho easily equalized; in the 72nd minute, Idumbo's tight-angle strike put PSG behind again. When Dembele assisted Ferran's goal, it was ruled offside, and a long-range effort in the final moments also missed the target. Throughout the match, PSG looked like office workers who had not shaken off their morning frustration, moving slowly and lacking passion.

Some fans joked: "As long as Paris are not more than 15 points behind, they will definitely come back. Just wait until the winter break, you will see, things will surely turn around!" It sounds relaxed, but the question is—who can guarantee they will not fall that far behind? Other fans sharply pointed out: "In reality, PSG's ability to attract fans in China is limited. Although the Champions League is extremely attractive, for truly loyal fans, what they watch during the season is league matches. Ligue 1 itself has weak competition, and with inconvenient match times, what is the point of staying up late to watch poor-quality games after such effort?"

From a tactical perspective, PSG's problems are not only about attitude. Whether it was last season's UEFA Nations League match against Chelsea or their Champions League encounter with Bayern, the Portuguese duo on the pitch clearly showed weaknesses in controlling games when under pressure—their physical disadvantages and vulnerability to targeted approaches caused them to frequently lose positions in chaotic situations, and they were unable to break through opponents' defenses when under sustained pressure. Enrique's strategic philosophy inherits the essence of Flick and Klopp: sacrificing some stability in exchange for attacking efficiency during chaotic phases. This style has allowed them to achieve consecutive Champions League victories, mainly because of the chemistry between Enrique and this group of players, while many other elite clubs are still rebuilding and have struggled to challenge PSG. However, in Ligue 1 matches, opponents' defensive blocks have completely neutralized PSG's chaotic style of play.

In addition, the heavy workload on the Portuguese duo and Fabian Ruiz with their national teams has meant that PSG's high-intensity rotation system requires an extremely high level of coordination. Therefore, given their poor start, the current situation is actually not difficult to understand.

What does three consecutive draws mean? This is a Ligue 1 start that PSG had not experienced since 2012. The situation of PSG's failure may appear humorous, but for their fans, there is absolutely nothing to celebrate. Pressure has now quietly shifted onto Enrique.