Football Season Guide

Paris Saint-Germain remain the powerhouse side of Ligue 1, having won the domestic treble last season and five of six trophies under previous head coach Unai Emery. The Spaniard was jettisoned and allowed to go to Arsenal in the summer, with former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel taking over. It is the intention of the board to make the team more exciting under the German, but more effective in Europe, where they twice fumbled at the last-16 stage under Emery. Thus far, Tuchel has been forced to trim his squad due to Financial Fair Play regulations. Yuri Berchiche, Javier Pastore, Hatem Ben Arfa and Grzegorz Krychowiak have all been sold along with promising youngster Odsonne Edouard. On the other hand, PSG’s only significant summer signing – if the permanent arrival of Kylian Mbappe from Monaco does not count – is veteran Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on a free transfer from Juventus. Indeed, it does not seem that there will be significant movement inwards to the club before the deadline. Tuchel has yet to have the chance to work with his squad, many of whom have spent the summer away on international duty, so with speculation that there could be a switch to a 3-4-3 formation rife, it could be a complicated transitional phase. Indeed, many of PSG’s top performers will be leaden legged after their exploits in the summer. Little surprise, then, that friendly results have been poor, including a thumping 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, in which Timothy Weah stood out as PSG’s outstanding figure. They still possess an abundance of quality, most notably in attack, where Neymar and Mbappe offer the threat. Adrien Rabiot is set to sign a new deal, which is a boost to the midfield, where Marco Verratti will have to adapt to a new higher-tempo style. Additionally, the retirement of Thiago Motta will act as a significant blow. The defence, meanwhile, will go largely untouched. Tuchel has an unenviable task, with expectations as high as ever and the expectation his side entertains to boot.