Champions League – Montanier backs PSG and reveals their real weakness

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·12 de dezembro de 2025

Champions League – Montanier backs PSG and reveals their real weakness

In L’Équipe, Philippe Montanier, consultant and former Ligue 1 coach, analyzes Paris Saint-Germain’s draw in Bilbao (0-0). Despite PSG remaining scoreless for the first time this season in the Champions League, he believes that the context—Basque pressing, the opponent’s form, and Parisian absences—largely explains the evening’s performance.

Montanier: “PSG can’t always win 7-2 away from home”

“Were you disappointed by the overall performance of the Parisians, who remained scoreless in the Champions League for the first time this season? PSG can’t always win 7-2 away from home, like in Leverkusen (on October 21)! We mustn’t forget that Athletic Bilbao is one of the best pressing teams in Europe, especially at home. And they were coming off a win (1-0) in La Liga against Atlético de Madrid. It’s true that PSG were unsettled in the first half in terms of play, but not in terms of chances. And it was still the Parisians who had the best opportunity, through Senny Mayulu, who was denied by Simon (45th minute).

Montanier: “I expected this kind of trouble for the Parisian squad in the first part of the season”

The trio Joao Neves-Vitinha-Fabian Ruiz, it seems, is sometimes less dominant in midfield. What do you think? It’s a collective issue. As has been the case since the start of the season, quite a few key players were still missing (Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé, among others). Due to the total lack of preseason preparation, I expected this kind of trouble for the Parisian squad in the first part of the season. Now, I’m curious to see how things will develop because this is an unprecedented situation…”

Montanier reminds us that San Mamés is not a neutral ground: Bilbao is one of the best pressing teams in Europe, especially at home. In this context, he thinks it’s logical that PSG were unsettled in their play without conceding major chances, even highlighting that Paris had the best opportunity of the first half thanks to Senny Mayulu, stopped by Simon just before the break.

Vídeos OneFootball

The coach then insists on a fundamental point: the midfield of Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz appears less dominant when several key players are missing, notably Achraf Hakimi or Ousmane Dembélé, which destabilizes the entire team structure. Finally, Montanier recalls that PSG is still paying the price for their complete lack of summer preparation, an unprecedented phenomenon that, in his view, should diminish as the squad stabilizes. An insightful opinion from someone who knows the inner workings of football well.

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