Paris Saint-Germain Must Take Action in January, but It May Not Save Unai Emery

Paris Saint-Germain remain deep in the mire despite a stirring comeback in their 2-2 home draw against Ligue 1 leaders Nice. 

That result leaves them four points short of the top, and having drawn Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16, Europe seems unlikely to provide any easy glory this season. 

Manager Unai Emery has failed to improve on the underwhelming performances of the opening month of the season. 

Paris have won plenty of games but have rarely looked convincing. Their last three results—defeat away to Montpellier before consecutive home draws against Ludogorets and Nice—do not suggest a team making significant progress. 

There are problems throughout Paris' talented but badly imbalanced squad. 

With just three games remaining until the Christmas break, Paris must endeavour to lose no more ground in the title race until appropriate reinforcements can be found in the winter transfer window. 

Francisco Seco/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

Football director Patrick Kluivert has confirmed that signings will be arriving in January. Speaking with reporters after Sunday's draw with Nice, Kluivert confirmed as much while adding that "central defence is not a priority."

This qualifier does not provide much reassurance given that Thiago Silva and Marquinhos find remarkable ways to give goals away with each passing game. 

The summer sale of David Luiz, lauded by many, appears to have backfired. 

In the absence of Luiz's buccaneering, front-foot style of defending, Paris have two similar players starting together. Neither attacks the ball but prefers to wait until the last moment to intervene. 

Nice's comical second goal on Sunday exemplified why that is problematic. 

If that area is not to be addressed, there are problems further upfield, too. 

With Thiago Motta set to leave the club next summer, per Gazzetto dello Sport (h/t Goal's Dom Farrell), a new midfielder is a priority. 

Last week, rumours abounded that PSG were watching Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli in anticipation of a £50 million summer move, per the Mirror (h/t the Guardian's Paul Doyle). If Paris really are interested in Alli, though, they should launch their bid in January. 

Whenever it comes, such a move would likely be rejected. But Alli's second-season slump could encourage Mauricio Pochettino to sanction a sale in the winter window.

Normally deployed in the attacking-midfield line at Spurs, Alli is also capable in a flatter, three-man midfield. 

With his unpredictable instincts and impishness, he would make a superb central-midfield partner for Marco Verratti. 

It is worth remembering that Giovani Lo Celso will end his loan spell and join Paris in January. 

Lo Celso is only 20 but will provide another option in attacking midfield. 

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

According to RMC radio, via foot-sur7.com, Paris have also made an €11 million bid for River Plate forward Lucas Alario. The 24-year-old is dominant in the Argentinian Primera Division and could prove a handy substitute for Edinson Cavani. 

Italian publication Tuttosport, via Le10Sport.com, suggest it will be a replacement rather than a backup that will be sought in January. 

Those reports suggest that Everton's Romelu Lukaku, one of the best centre-forwards in Europe not playing in the Champions League and certainly the most attainable, could be approached. 

Cavani, while he scored twice against Nice, continues to be profligate in front of goal. 

"

Balotelli had 11 touches in 16 minutes. Cavani had 16 in 90 minutes and seven of them were shots - two went in. Minimalist. #PSG

— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) December 11, 2016"

Not only is he wasteful, but also he is too uninvolved and caught offside frustratingly often. He put the ball in the net four times against Nice, but only two counted after the intervention of an assistant's flag. 

While he continues to score at better than a goal per game, it is difficult to be too hard on Cavani, but his wastefulness will be punished by less porous defences. 

Kluivert has denied the amusing Lionel Messi rumours that continue to bubble along, but fresh options in attack must be considered. 

Regardless of the quality of players Paris can recruit in January, the idiosyncrasies of the manager may be of greater significance. 

Emery persists with his preferred 4-3-3 formation despite its evident flaws and the fact that it forces Hatem Ben Arfa, one of his most gifted players, to watch most games from the substitutes' bench. 

Ben Arfa has been fitfully effective, much the story of his career, but his ability to carry the ball beyond the first man and force opposition defences to reset is hugely valuable.

Emery's insistence on selecting Grzegorz Krychowiak in a superfluous central-midfield role, while shunting Blaise Matuidi to an unsuited wide position, is equally baffling.

The Poland international contributes little more than occasionally shifting possession to his more technically able team-mates and conceding fouls.

Emery's strange selections and ineffective tactical setup undermine the importance of the transfer window.

There is a lethargy to his players and a reactionary nature to his squad. Too often, his team does not seek to dominate the game but rather the ball. 

While Paris shuttle the ball about neatly but impotently, teams like Ludogorets and Montpellier grow in confidence and strike out on the break. 

Michel Euler/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

If Emery continues to field players out of position and not give his key players the right structure in which to play, the extent to which the squad is upgraded matters little. 

Paris' season is not yet lost, but it is in dangerous and, in the QSI era, uncharted waters. 

Never since the new ownership arrived in 2011 have the club sat so far from the top after 17 weeks of the season. 

Nice do not look likely champions on the evidence of the draw at the Parc des Princes, but having already thrashed Monaco 4-0, this was the biggest hurdle that they had yet to clear.

Les Aiglons are out of Europe and will now be solely focused on Ligue 1 while the Parisians and Monegasques must continue to balance their squads across both competitions.

Nice have generally controlled games while Monaco are astonishingly prolific. It remains unclear what Paris do well.

Their title defence is no longer in their hands, and changes need to be made across the pitch. 

Many more results like those of the past two weeks, and there may well be a change made on the sidelines, too.