PSG Risk Champions League Hopes to Ensure Victory at Home to Struggling Nantes

Paris Saint-Germain are level atop Ligue 1 after a 2-0 home win over Nantes on Saturday, yet the pressure on manager Unai Emery has only intensified.

It was a victory that brought precious little joy and lifted none of the gloom around the Parc des Princes. 

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Angel Di Maria gave PSG the lead with a lovely finish, pouncing on a loose ball in the 13th minute, but his first league goal of the season was scant relief given that the Argentinian limped off with a hamstring injury before half-time.

That he has broken his duck in domestic football is wonderful, but what was he doing on the pitch? 

Di Maria made two appearances for Argentina during the international break and is a player with a history of soft tissue injuries.

For 70 minutes or more, Nantes gave as good as they got and were unfortunate not to equalise.

Kevin Trapp was called into action in the PSG goal far more often than either he or his manager would have liked.

The presence of academy players Jean-Kevin Augustin and Presnel Kimpembe in the lineup against Nantes is a point in Emery's favour but did little to erase his mistakes elsewhere. 

Javier Pastore, on as a second-half substitute, was also forced off with 10 minutes remaining and the score still 1-0. L'Equipe reported his injury as ligament damage in his right knee. 

With the price already paid, failure to take all three points would have been disastrous.

Jese Rodriguez, on for Lucas Moura in the 73rd minute, ensured the victory with his first goal for Les Parisiens in stoppage time.

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His penalty added an unjustified layer of gloss to an otherwise unvarnished performance. This was another disjointed display in which the result did not entirely reflect the balance of play. 

Paris have won three straight games and not conceded a goal in 551 minutes of play, yet there are deep concerns over the level of their performances. 

Les Canaris have won just three games this season and scored only nine times. They are hardly a side that PSG should fear, so Emery's unwillingness to rotate further demands examination.

Edinson Cavani, Marquinhos, Layvin Kurzawa, Alphonse Areola were among the players omitted, but Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti, Lucas and Di Maria were thrown into a game in which their qualities should not have been required.

It is surely damning of summer signings Jese and Hatem Ben Arfa that Emery refused to bring them in from the cold until injuries forced his hand. Whether these decisions reflect stubbornness or a cavalier disregard for the looming trip the Emirates Stadium, Emery has paid the price. 

This game will likely have little bearing on PSG's domestic finish, and while failure to beat one of Ligue 1's weakest sides would also have been met with criticism, Emery has gambled and lost. 

After the match, Emery said Di Maria would be fit for the Arsenal clash. He told gathered reporters that "his exit was a precaution. I hope he will be fine for Wednesday's game."

Regardless, it was a reckless decision to select so many of his most important players for a league match with relatively minor stakes.

Nantes owner Waldemar Kita has endured such a frustrating period in charge that he has declared a willingness to part with the club for a symbolic €1 fee, according to Eurosport. 

An opposition in such shambles hardly demands a full-strength lineup.

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PSG now face a de facto playoff for top spot in their Champions League group against Arsenal. 

Their hopes of topping their Champions League group have not been thrown away by the outcome against Nantes, but they have been hurt and unnecessarily so. Winning the group is hugely significant, and Paris' hopes of doing so have been jeopardised by Di Maria and Pastore's injuries. 

Emery will recall those stars who sat out Saturday's match, but those absences, as well as the already sidelined Adrien Rabiot, complicate things. When the two sides met in September, Arsenal were resilient, but it was a series of remarkable missed chances from Cavani that were the story of the match.

PSG should have won easily, but they conceded a costly late goal in a 1-1 draw. The Gunners are much-improved since then, and PSG appear to have gone backward. 

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are in career-best form while the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin are effectively shielding the back line. Arsene Wenger's side has enviable depth to go with world-class players and will begin Wednesday's match as heavy favourites. 

Layvin Kurzawa's return at the Emirates is vital to PSG's hopes. Width and pace on the counter will be essential to undoing an Arsenal side that will seek to dominate possession in front of their fans.

The injury-enforced absence of right-back Hector Bellerin plays into Paris' hands, as neither of Arsenal's back-up options—Carl Jenkinson and Mathieu Debuchy—is up to the task. 

Cavani, in form and with a point to prove against Arsenal, can provide the cutting edge. 

Emery's best Sevilla sides were excellent at breaking against the run of play, and he can set Les Parisiens up to do the same at the Emirates.

Whether Arsenal can be overcome or not, Emery has made his team's job more difficult and, in so doing so, risked his own position. 

Graduation from the also-ran status that PSG have achieved in each of their last four Champions League campaigns is the only metric by which Emery's period at the helm can or will be judged a success.

Another year of domestic triumph would be little consolation considering owner Qatar Sports Investments' spending and is not what the group had in mind when it recruited the Basque to replace Laurent Blanc.

Emery appears resolved to do it the hard way.