Paris Saint-Germain have started their Ligue 1 campaign without a win in their first three matches. This season’s 2 points from 3 matches and zero wins is by far their worst start in the last 10 seasons – in fact, in 7 of those 9 previous seasons, PSG took the maximum 9 points, and the average points total from the first 3 matches is approximately 7.6, and even the closest comparable poor start season (2020/21, 3 points) still has one win, whereas this season there are none. A goal difference of −1 after 3 matches is also the worst in this run, level with the 2020/21 season.

Dominance without incision

According to the ‘raw’ statistics, PSG were not actually statistically outplayed in any match; on the contrary, they dominated almost every metric, but were far less efficient than their opponents. Cumulative across all three rounds: PSG 5.92 xG versus 2.65 for their opponents, 60 shots versus 22, 92 touches in the penalty area versus 35, 90.7% pass accuracy versus 81.3% – by those figures PSG are the clear better team in all three matches.

The actual statistics in which opponents have ‘outplayed’ PSG boil down to just two things: the percentage of duels won (Rennes won 53:47, while the other two matches were level at 50:50) and, most painfully, goal efficiency – opponents scored almost everything they created (Monaco converted 100% of their big chances from just one opportunity, Rennes 50%), while PSG scored only 4 from a total of 12 clear-cut chances (33% conversion) and were caught offside 12 times across the three matches. In other words – the problem wasn’t that they were outplayed, but their failure to capitalise on what they created themselves.

Similarly, in the Super Cup final PSG had three great chances and scored none, while Lens had one and scored. So we have the same pattern of inefficiency as in the first three league rounds, only more pronounced (0% conversion instead of 33%).

Optimism and focus on the league

Against Slovan Bratislava in the UCL, the problem of finishing finally disappeared. PSG capitalised on their overwhelming dominance, featuring two ‘perfect rating’ performances in the same match. The protagonists of this match, with perfect tens, were Ferran Torres, who scored a hat-trick, and Ousmane Dembélé, who scored two goals and provided two assists. One interesting fact is that in the entire history of our available data for the Champions League, two or more players from the same team have received a rating of 10 in the same match on only five occasions.

This time, 50% of big chances were converted, with a clear dominance in possession (72%), shots on target and touches in the opposition’s penalty area.
Such a convincing victory will surely give the Parisians a boost ahead of their match against Brest in Ligue 1, which is scheduled for Sunday.

However, PSG certainly need to be on their guard. Brest’s attacking volume in the first three rounds is significantly greater than anything Rennes, Lille and Monaco have combined produced against PSG so far. PSG’s league opponents so far have generated a combined total of just 2.65 xG across three matches, while Brest has produced 8.13 xG on its own—more than three times that amount. This means that Brest, unlike their predecessors, could actually create chances against PSG’s defence, rather than just defend. Kamory Doumbia has scored 4 goals in 3 matches and is currently in great form and Brest’s main attacking threat. On the other hand, Joris Chotard was Brest’s highest-rated player in all three matches (7.9 / 8.5 / 7.1), and is also the engine of the midfield with the most touches of the ball in the team (70, 97, 69).

Settling the new mix

The start of a season can sometimes be slower in terms of results due to the integration of new players into the squad and the departure of old ones, as well as, of course, the adjustment to a new league and the style of football it fosters. Every engine needs a little time to warm up, and so it is with PSG’s machine, which needs to get down to its real work.


Signings like Ferran Torres and Mika Godts have already made their mark in the league; Ferran was the key player in the match against Rennes with two goals, while Godts provided an assist in the fixture against Lille.
The departures of players like Bradley Barcola to Liverpool and Gonçalo Ramos to Milan have also left a void. Both finished the season with an identical 13 goals, but Barcola played significantly more minutes and racked up more assists (7 to 1). Ramos came on from the bench more often, acting as a “super-sub”, whereas Barcola was a more consistent starter with a more even contribution throughout the season.