The Highs and Lows for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015
Football has never worked over a calendar year, it will always cover two halves of different seasons.
For Paris Saint-Germain, though, it has encompassed the growth of the club into a European superpower—but with areas they can still improve.
Defeat at Bastia in February was the catalyst to what has been a tremendous run of form in Ligue 1. Since that day, the Parisians have only lost once in the league.
They advanced all the way to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, before bowing out to the eventual winners and then ended the year with another clash against Chelsea to look forward to.
There have definitely been ups and downs for Laurent Blanc and his team, but it’s not the setbacks you face, it’s how you react and progress—and there is no doubt they have taken the positive steps this year.
Here are some highs and lows for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015.
Defeat to Bastia the Turning Point
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PSG began the new year with an away trip to SC Bastia. Coming off the back of the club’s 3-0 Coupe de France victory against Montpellier, everything looked to be going in the right direction.
After 20 minutes, goals from Lucas Moura and Adrien Rabiot gave the Parisians a comfortable 2-0 lead, but that would not last.
Bastia pounced on PSG taking their foot off the accelerator and two goals from Julian Palmieri—including a goal-of-the-season candidate—helped the islanders stun the league with a 4-2 come from behind victory.
However, even though it was an amazing night for Bastia, it sparked a change of attitude in the capital and PSG would only lose once more that season. That was the turning point in Blanc securing the club’s third consecutive league title.
Attitude Issues in Loss to Bordeaux
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One moment of 2015 that PSG would probably like to forget, for a number of reasons, is the 3-2 defeat at Girondins de Bordeaux in March.
Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice to level the scores on the day, it was an overall performance to forget. Even the Swede’s second goal and penalty was a contentious decision.
Defending for Diego Rolan’s winner could have been much better, and on balance, the home side deserved the points.
However, what followed was a definite black mark against the club and its players. Ibrahimovic’s foul-mouthed tirade against the league (Warning: NSFW language) and its officials was uncalled for and brought with it the type of global attention that is against what they are trying to build towards.
Losing to Eventual Champions League Winners
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Whenever you are knocked out of a cup competition, there is a certain comfort in knowing that you were knocked out by the team that eventually lifted the trophy.
PSG lost 5-1 to Barcelona on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and although there is still the disappointment in losing in the manner that they did—failing to compete with the Spanish side at any point of the two legs—Luis Enrique’s side were untouchable.
The French side may have recorded a 3-2 win over the Camp Nou side during the group stage, but PSG couldn't repeat their performance from that night and Barcelona managed to find several higher gears.
From that tie, the club learned the level they will need to find if they want to lift the Champions League one day.
Completing the Domestic Quadruple
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It may have been the club’s target when the season began, but the 1-0 win over AJ Auxerre at the Stade de France saw PSG complete their first-ever domestic quadruple.
The performance on the day was far from perfect, but it fades into insignificance when compared to the overall achievement. Edinson Cavani’s 64th-minute winner put the icing on a hugely successful season.
Starting with the Trophee des Champions victory over Guingamp, the Coupe de la Ligue win against Bastia, plus the league trophy—after a slow start to the campaign and the challenge of both Lyon and Marseille—made it a clean sweep.
It also takes a little bit of pressure off Blanc to do that again this season. Cup success can be tough; with that huge marker achieved, the focus can now switch to the Champions League.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Breaking Goalscoring Records
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For the Swedish striker, it was only a matter of time, but in 2015, Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed his place as PSG’s all-time top scorer.
It probably wasn’t how he imagined it happening, but the opposition was perfect. Ibrahimovic scored two penalties against Marseille in the Parc des Princes to take his total for the club to 110, passing the previous record held by former Portugal international Pauleta.
Then in December, the talisman claimed another record, passing the 85 league goals scored by Mustapha Dahleb to become PSG’s highest goalscorer in Ligue 1.
Ibrahimovic ends 2015 with 15 league goals this season, taking his total to 90—he will be aiming for the 100 mark before the end of the campaign.
Champions League Defeats to Real Madrid
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The individual loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage will not be a huge low in PSG’s year, but it is still a significant moment.
As a club, they failed to make a huge impression on a team that is struggling for success in their own domestic league. Real Madrid’s position as one of Europe’s elite teams is not as strong as it once was, so failing to trouble them for large parts of both group-stage games will be a cause of concern for Laurent Blanc.
However, there were signs in the second game that the French side were getting to grips with the competition and their opponents—pressing the Real defence better than before. Something for the club to build on going into the knockout phase.
Picking up just one point from six against the Spanish side also meant PSG finished second in the group, handing them a tricky tie against Chelsea in the round of 16.
PSG's 5-1 Destruction of Lyon
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Back in February, PSG drew 1-1 away at Lyon in one of the best matches of the Ligue 1 season. It was two teams at their best doing battle. Lyon took the lead, but needed goalkeeper Anthony Lopes at his best to keep the Parisians at bay.
Fast forward to December of this year and the match between the same two sides at the Parc des Princes was a complete contrast. PSG romped to a 5-1 victory against Lyon, showing just how huge the chasm between both clubs has become.
Lyon do have their own problems, but they were lambs to the slaughter against a confident and relentless Parisian attack.
For the opening 20 minutes, PSG pressed, pulled and pushed Lyon all over the pitch and Hubert Fournier’s team had no answer.
PSG, as that game showed, are in a different league to the rest of Ligue 1—it’s not even close.
Breaking Ligue 1 Winter Points Total
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If their 19-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 wasn’t enough to show just how dominant PSG have been in 2015, the 3-0 win over Caen in their last game of the season took the club to 51 points—a new record for this stage of the championship.
Their record is phenomenal. Unbeaten and just nine goals conceded, only three draws have blemished their league record.
With their fourth consecutive title all but confirmed, 2016 will focus on the Champions League. That has to—and will be—the next target in their plans.
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