PSG v Monaco: Lacombe on Paris’s struggles, eyes Champions League 16

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·26 February 2026

PSG v Monaco: Lacombe on Paris’s struggles, eyes Champions League 16

Paris Saint-Germain drew 2-2 against AS Monaco (video summary PSG/Monaco) this Wednesday at Parc des Princes in the second leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League playoffs (5-4 on aggregate). After this match, former Parisian coach Guy Lacombe shared his analysis with the newspaper Le Parisien.

Lacombe “PSG is not yet at last year’s level”

“PSG is not yet at last year’s level, where it was truly exceptional. They are missing a few players, there are physical adjustments to be made, but I especially find that opponents are starting to find the solution. In the first half, Monaco really troubled Paris with their handling of Kvaratskhelia and Hakimi. This 5-3-2 with Akliouche as a free agent really bothered Paris.

Lacombe “I think you always have to look at the opponent in these cases”

How to explain Paris's lack of sharpness? I think you always have to look at the opponent in these cases. And Monaco had a great first half. But you can see that something is missing, some players are not at the level of last year. You can see that some players are disturbed, it’s part of the price of glory for a club that has reached the top. The hardest part is staying there.

Lacombe “The players don’t have the same motivation”

How to do better next time? You’ll see in the next match (laughs). Against Barcelona or Chelsea, there will be the great Paris, I am convinced. There will be less calculation. You can see in some behaviors that it’s not the same vigor, the same enthusiasm. Facing Monaco again, whom Paris already faces in Ligue 1, is a bit disheartening. The players don’t have the same motivation and you have to understand them, they are only human.”

Seen through the eyes of a manager, Lacombe’s diagnosis points less to a “Parisian breakdown” than to a control issue. Monaco is not a sparring partner: in the first half, the 5-3-2 and the free agent Maghnes Akliouche locked down the connections, with a double team on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and constant attention on Achraf Hakimi’s runs. Result: PSG produced, but without sharpness, like a team still in the phase of physical adjustments and collective benchmarks.

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In this type of meeting, the question is not only “being better,” it’s imposing your tempo, dictating the attack zones, varying the rhythms, and punishing the block exits. Paris has the quality to take a step forward, but must prove it can reach this level on demand.

The interesting signal is that the solution already exists: the more Paris is studied, the more it will have to live with discomfort, accept being troubled, and then respond with internal solutions, rotations, complementary profiles, and above all, a higher demand for execution. The qualification is there; the question now is the ability to switch to “Europe mode” without waiting for the match to demand it.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.