By Daily Sports on September 10, 2016

Paris Saint-Germain’s teething problems under Unai Emery continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Saint-Etienne – and a similar performance when they meet Arsenal on Tuesday will surely only result in a defeat.

Lucas Moura’s penalty seemed to have the Ligue 1 champions – so utterly dominant domestically last season – on their way to an unconvincing win, yet arch-poacher Robert Beric snatched an equaliser in stoppage time.

PSG might have moved level with Guingamp, Monaco and Nice at the summit of Ligue 1 on seven points, but it was no way for the hosts to prepare for a huge match against the Gunners.

That fixture is already being billed as a potential play-off for top spot in Group A, but while PSG have outperformed Arsene Wenger’s side in recent seasons in the Champions League, they do not currently look a side capable of making the last eight, let alone winning the title. Indeed, even their ability to win the French championship will come into question if they continue to play at such a mediocre standard.

Rarely did they look cohesive on Friday night and aside from a handful of moments of inspiration from Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi, there was little but a Lucas Moura penalty for the home fans to get excited about.

While Matuidi ridiculed the club’s dithering over whether he should be retained with a typically energetic and dynamic performance, the lacklustre nature of PSG’s overall display was alarming ahead of such a vital fixture and typical of the way they have started the season.

In particular, the forward three of Lucas, Hatem Ben Arfa and Jese were ineffective, with the Spaniard finding life particularly tough on the occasion of his first Ligue 1 start. With Edinson Cavani barely offering a credible threat in the early weeks of the season, there was little to unease even Arsenal’s notoriously fragile defence ahead of their trip to the French capital in midweek.

Angel Di Maria will come back into the side and has a greater capacity to cause trouble, yet the void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure to Manchester United is increasingly evident.

And it is not just in attack where Emery has problems. (goal.com)

•Photo show Unai Emery

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 10, 2016

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