This PSG legend still confident, a key player set to join

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·22 de janeiro de 2026

This PSG legend still confident, a key player set to join

Laurent Fournier, former player and experienced coach, adopted a measured tone in Le Parisien after another challenging match for Paris Saint-Germain. For him, despite the obvious flaws, Paris maintains its playing principles, ball control, and pressing, and simply needs to regain clarity and rhythm. In this context, Fournier highlights a realistic vision of PSG in 2025, capable of progress without dramatizing.

Fournier "There's no need to worry"

"There's no need to worry because we see the same playing principles, the desire to control the ball, to press. It's just a matter of success and fatigue. They lacked clarity. Hakimi will return, Dembélé and Doué will gain momentum. We'll wait for PSG to reach March for the major deadlines. But I think they will be ready."

Fournier "Hakimi has revolutionized the full-back position and when he returns, it will be all beneficial"

Even if they have more pressure in Ligue 1, it will re-mobilize them. Zabarnyi's entry on the right side wasn't obvious. When you're used to playing in the center and you end up on the flank, you can feel the difference. I think of the two actions at the end of the match where he was outpaced. Hakimi has revolutionized the full-back position and when he returns, it will be all beneficial."

Fournier is not one to fall into emotional overreaction. At 61, he sees Paris Saint-Germain with a solid compass: the team retains the same principles that are the club's trademark. He acknowledges that PSG has flaws, lacks clarity, shows signs of fatigue, and has defensive experiments like right-back Ilia Zabarnyi out of his natural position, but he refuses to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Vídeos OneFootball

In his view, it's not a problem of playing philosophy, but of adjustment and timing: the return of Achraf Hakimi (27 years old) will reconfigure the right flank, and the rise of Ousmane Dembélé (27 years old) and Désiré Doué (20 years old) brings depth.

Fournier invites a broader perspective beyond immediate results: this season's PSG cannot be measured through the lens of the Champions League final against Inter Milan, an extraordinary feat, but should be appreciated for its ability to maintain an identity while correcting its mistakes. His calm stance is a call for patience and analysis rather than worry.

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