Zlatan Ibrahimovic Form and Injury Exposes Paris Saint-Germain's Problems
Paris Saint-Germain’s disappointing start to the 2014-15 season was compounded by slipping to third in the Ligue 1 table after a goalless draw with Montpellier HSC in the final match of the 2014 calendar year.
The French champions are six points and 12 goals worse off this campaign than they were last, not to mention two positions lower in the table. Les Parisiens had the same number of points, had scored four more goals and conceded one less in the 2012-13 edition. That season, they still topped Le Championnat at Christmas as the best of three teams tied on 38 points.
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On top of all of this, it is star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s worst start to a Ligue 1 season since he arrived in the French capital.
The Swede had 18 goals and three assists after 19 Ligue 1 matches in his first campaign, while he had notched 15 goals and laid on six more after the same number of games last term. This time around, PSG’s talisman has only managed eight goals and is yet to register his first assist after featuring in just 11 of the 19 matches played.
There is a good reason for this massive decline in the number of goals scored; the 33-year-old was injured for the best part of two months earlier this season and that heel problem has not fully cleared up. It likely will not go away until at least next summer, when the PSG No. 10 has time to rest and deal with the issue.
Until then, Ibrahimovic will not be fully fit and this is starting to cause PSG some problems.
Between the French capital outfit’s 1-1 home draw with Olympique Lyonnais back in September and the 2-0 home win over Olympique de Marseille in November, Zlatan was unavailable for Laurent Blanc’s men.
The team struggled for form initially, unable to adapt to their key man’s absence. However, after a handful of Ligue 1 games and an excellent team performance to beat Barcelona 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League, the Swede’s team-mates finally realised that they could win games without Zlatan and displays improved to the point that PSG won six consecutive games in all competitions without him.
Once Ibrahimovic returned to action, though, the same old problems started to emerge.
The Scandinavian star led his team to victories over AFC Ajax, OGC Nice and FC Nantes, but he was a passenger as PSG narrowly beat FC Metz away from home, lost 1-0 at EA Guingamp and drew 0-0 with Montpellier. He was allowed to rest for the 1-1 draw away at Lille OSC and the 3-1 Coupe de la Ligue win away at AC Ajaccio.
Zlatan also played, scoring the only goal, in a 3-1 Champions League defeat at Barcelona.
The heel injury picked up has obviously impaired his ability somewhat, but five goals in those games was a good return from a player making his way back from a lengthy lay-off. However, it is more the games that he plays in and does not have an impact on that are the problem.
PSG should be concerned by his lack of fitness in the Guingamp loss and the Montpellier draw in particular. It was clear in the 1-0 defeat at Stade du Roudourou that playing against Nantes, Barcelona and then the Bretons was a stretch too far for Ibrahimovic, while he should have been in better shape after a rest when Les Parisiens hosted Montpellier.
So often in the past, Ibrahimovic’s good form has papered over the cracks at PSG. The Swede’s insatiable form in front of goal and clean slate injury-wise enabled him to lead the capital club to two straight Ligue 1 titles and progress in Europe.
However, his return from injury disturbed something in Blanc’s team.
PSG were finally learning how to play and win matches without their talisman, preparing themselves for life without Zlatan in the relatively near future. They may not have been dominating opponents as they did with him in the side, but Edinson Cavani was finally starting to show his worth and Ibrahimovic’s absence empowered the likes of Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore.
The prolific striker’s return to action has theoretically given PSG back that individual quality that he brings, but the team ethic that was being fostered has been completely forgotten once again. If Ibrahimovic’s performances are going to be like the ones seen in Metz, Guingamp or against Montpellier each time he plays consecutive games with his injury, then PSG really need to consider how they use him.
Had the PSG from earlier in the season been playing against Guingamp or Montpellier, without Zlatan, then perhaps Blanc’s men would have come away with more than just one point from a possible six.
Plenty of blame is laid at the feet of Cavani each time the team under-performs. His booing was deserved in the recent 0-0 draw against Montpellier, but Ibrahimovic merited the same treatment for an equally inept showing.
PSG are not as clinical in front of goal this season, largely down to Ibrahimovic’s lengthy absence that contributed to his goal tally being half the size of recent seasons, but they can still win games if they pick the best side for those matches.
In order to pick the best side for each game, Zlatan’s condition must be closely monitored. If he is not fully fit to play and be as effective as he was in each of the past two seasons, then he should not feature in the starting XI.
Placing Ibrahimovic on the bench for certain games is easier said than done, though. Like with the problems in defence and midfield that need solving, Blanc has another tough issue to deal with here.
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