Neither talented nor obsessed. It is not certain that in Brazil, Germany or China children decorate their rooms with posters of Gonçalo Ramos, Marco Asensio or Randal Kolo Muani. With a wet finger,we’re pretty sure these same guys,or those before them,had covered the walls with photos of Zlatan Ibrahimovic,Kylian Mbappé,Neymar,Edinson Cavani and even Mauro icardi. Him too. Some fans have mocked the Argentine striker who ended up annoying Thomas Tuchel when he was coaching PSG, but he had an eye for goal that his current successors don’t have. After the draw suffered on Friday evening at Auxerre (0-0), doubts and questions are accumulating about the Parisian attackers.
Gonçalo Ramos remains a hope in the football galaxy. In Portugal he is not yet a starter in attack while the coach would have every reason to get rid of cristiano Ronaldo who no longer plays as a protagonist in Europe and frequently enough shows his age, 39 years old. Scorer of fourteen goals in all competitions last season, he was crushed by the pressure and level in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, his only start last season.
For his part, Randal Kolo Muani is well known to French radars. With the full trust of Didier Deschamps and in a transition game more suited to his qualities, he gave satisfaction to the French team without though overturning mountains. The good performances of the former Nantes player are at an altitude even lower than that required in the Champions League where only triggers of the caliber of Robert Lewandowski,Harry Kane,Vinicius,Mohamed Salah,Erling Haaland or until then little by little Kylian mbappé they unlocked games. The former Bundesliga resident did not start any C1 round of 16 match last season and zero this season too. A competition in which the last scorer of the Parisians’ offensive sector is still called Kylian Mbappé, in the quarter-final return match against Barcelona in Catalonia. As then, nothing against Dortmund and the results of Achraf Hakimi or Warren Zaire-Emery this year during the launch of the new formula.
Not to mention the pure number 9s, even the capital’s attackers can’t do it. Bradley Barcola and Kang-In Lee, Paris’ top scorers in L1, do not translate their good dispositions to the next level when they are in good form, which is not the case right now. Marco Asensio, a fine player with a real sense of goal, with the necessary relaxation when he enters the penalty area, has never been considered a scorer but rather a creator, capable of passing or moving to sow discord.
kolo Muani at a dead end
Ousmane Dembélé also falls into this category. The outside destabilizes but does not accumulate and has never accumulated achievements. The latter two aren’t obsessed with his stats.paris therefore moves forward with an attacking team without the goal-scoring software tattooed in their brains or without the adequate talent at the highest level.
However, it remains to be seen whether all the ”culprits” of the abbé-Deschamps should be put in the same boat? Once again, and this is undoubtedly what we will remember from his game, Randal Kolo muani had the ball on his toe in added time. But the Blues striker can be stigmatized for having come across, like his little playing companions, against a Donovan Léon in a state of grace (11 saves) while the very limited trust placed in him by his coach, who his time game and therefore its benchmarks look? more similar to pellets than to doping products.
Top scorer of the French team for the year 2024 (6 goals), the RKM instead seems to be in a dead end within this Parisian collective where it is even less than a second knife in the eyes of its coach. It is tough to expect that a player who will have played almost as long at Auxerre (27 minutes) as in the last six league games (32 minutes) can lead the team when they find themselves in difficulty.
Barcola is just a shadow of himself
Hope,at least in the mind of his coach,seems to be embodied by Gonçalo Ramos. Absent since August, due to an ankle injury suffered during the first day in Le havre, the Portuguese made his second consecutive start at abbé-Deschamps, only the third of the season. If he stood out for a header full of desire to get Leon out of a reflex save (18th), but also for his way of playing with his body in the area and wearing the suit as a pivot, the former striker of Benfica can, after almost three months of absence, take advantage of the excuse of not being sufficiently prepared.
This is obviously not the case with the other two protagonists of the group, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, who on Friday evening stood out above all for their absence on the pitch.Again. Invisible and uninspired, Paris’ top scorer (10 goals) has been a mere shadow of his former self since the brace in Angers on 9 November. Same observation for Dembélé who we no longer recognize since his coach put him on the picket line during the away match against arsenal. Is the evil temporary or deeper?
The only certainty is “it’s true that we can improve, that’s clear”, recognizes Luis Enrique who assures us that it’s not a mental problem. “We are the team that scores the most goals in Ligue 1. In the Champions League it’s different. I would criticize the players if they weren’t motivated. But they give everything. They are the first to want to score goals. » It would be fitting if they finally managed to do it first, on Tuesday evening in salzburg. Otherwise we will still be talking about Paris and its ticking attack. And not for the better.
What are the key factors influencing PSG’s goal-scoring challenges this season?
Interview between Time.news Editor and Football Expert
Time.news Editor (TNE): Welcome, everyone! Today, we have a fascinating discussion lined up regarding the current state of goal scoring in football, especially focusing on the Paris saint-Germain forwards. Joining us is football analyst and expert,Dr. Lionel Ferrer.Thank you for being here,Dr. Ferrer.
Dr. Lionel Ferrer (DLF): Thank you for having me! It’s a pleasure to discuss the intricacies of modern football.
TNE: Let’s jump right in. We’re seeing a shift in the football landscape, specifically in how younger talents are emerging.Players like Gonçalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani, and others are currently central to this conversation. What do you think about their readiness to fill the shoes of legacy players like Neymar or Mbappé?
DLF: That’s a great question. While Ramos and Kolo Muani undoubtedly have talent, thay face enormous pressure. For instance, Ramos has yet to secure a starting position in Portugal, and this speaks to the transition phase he’s in. He scored 14 goals last season, which is commendable. Though, it’s crucial to remember that scoring in the domestic league doesn’t always translate to success on the European stage.
TNE: Absolutely. The Champions League is a different beast altogether. Kolo Muani, while he has shown promise with the French national team, is also struggling to make an impact in bigger matches, as indicated by his lack of starts in the last two Champions League seasons.
DLF: Exactly. His style may align well with Didier Deschamps’ approach,but when it comes to high-stakes matches,we need players who can perform at the elite level. Players like Haaland, Lewandowski, and Salah have the pedigree to change games single-handedly. Kolo Muani, though talented, hasn’t yet reached that benchmark.
TNE: Speaking of benchmarks,it’s engaging to see how PSG is navigating the current challenges with goal-scoring. Is the club too reliant on Kylian Mbappé for this?
DLF: Yes, that’s a critical point. Mbappé remains the cornerstone of PSG’s attacking force. Without him stepping up, the team struggles to find consistent goal-scoring. Players like Bradley Barcola and Kang-In Lee have shown potential but haven’t yet translated their form to crucial matches. It raises questions about the depth of PSG’s attack and their ability to respond when one key player isn’t firing.
TNE: The mention of Marco Asensio is also intriguing. He’s typically perceived more as a creator than a finisher, which complicates the dynamics of the PSG attack further.How do you see him fitting into this setup?
DLF: Asensio is a phenomenal talent with an eye for goal, but his role tends to lean more towards creating opportunities than finishing them. In a club like PSG, where goal-scoring is paramount, this can be a limitation. He may provide crucial assists, but in tight matches, you need someone who can convert chances as well as create them.
TNE: So, what does this mean for PSG moving forward? Are they at a dead end with their current attacking lineup?
DLF: I wouldn’t say they are at a complete dead end, but they certainly need to reevaluate their attacking strategies and potentially look to integrate players who can consistently convert chances in high-pressure situations. The reliance on Mbappé is clearly unsustainable long-term, especially with the current roster showing inconsistency. They might need to consider the market for established goal-scorers or invest in developing a strong striker who can withstand the pressure of Champions League football.
TNE: Very insightful! With the transfer windows and club dynamics always changing, it’ll be interesting to see how PSG navigates this situation. Thank you so much for your time today, Dr. Ferrer.
DLF: Thank you for the engaging discussion! I look forward to seeing how this season unfolds.
TNE: And thank you to our readers for joining us. Stay tuned for more updates on the exciting world of football!