Psg’s winning habit is cracking, or is this exactly where they want to be?
According to reporting by The Athletic and French football writer Tom Williams, PSG’s season has been built less on dominance than on survival. Results have arrived, but certainty has not, and that tension is beginning to define how this team is viewed at home and abroad.
When surviving became the strategy
For months, PSG found ways to win matches they did not fully own. Late goals against Lyon and Metz kept the league campaign alive, while knockout games against Marseille, Tottenham and Flamengo were settled only in the final moments or from the penalty spot, according to The Athletic.
Those escapes reinforced PSG’s aura as a team that could always find a way. That belief was punctured by a 1,0 defeat to Paris FC in the Coupe de France, a loss that eliminated PSG at the round of 16 stage for the first time since 2014.
It was also the first domestic competition Luis Enrique has failed to win since arriving in Paris in 2023, a small detail that suddenly feels far more significant.
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Are domestic rivals catching up?
In Ligue 1, PSG started 2026 looking up rather than ahead, chasing Lens instead of dictating the title race. The gap is small, but the symbolism matters.
In Europe, early Champions League wins over Atalanta, Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen suggested continuity. Then came the warning signs, a home defeat to Bayern Munich and a frustrating goalless draw away at Athletic Club.
The numbers raise further questions. Gonzalo Ramos leads the scoring, yet no PSG player has more than six league goals. Last season’s explosive attacking quartet has yet to reappear. Is this temporary restraint, or evidence that opponents have finally adapted?
The hidden cost of chasing everything
According to The Athletic, PSG paid a heavy physical price for reaching the Club World Cup final. With almost no pre season, injuries followed quickly and relentlessly.
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Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and several others spent long spells unavailable, preventing any real rhythm from forming. One source close to the dressing room described the mindset clearly.
“There is no crisis,” the source said. “But the players are managing their efforts.”
The same source framed the season as a long game rather than a weekly test. “They’re on a real mission this season and their mission is to win the Champions League for the second year running.”
That raises an uncomfortable question, are PSG pacing themselves, or gambling that form can be switched on at will?
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Calm words, louder doubts
Publicly, PSG’s leadership remains defiant. Speaking before a recent win over Lille, Luis Enrique challenged the expectations placed on his team.
“Do you really think we’re going to win every match and every trophy?” he said.
A senior PSG figure echoed that sentiment, insisting the atmosphere inside the club is calm. “There’s no panic. It’s quite the opposite, complete focus, collectiveness and belief.”
Still, history suggests that repeated narrow escapes eventually demand a price. The question is when.
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A pause that could define everything
With injuries easing and February offering a rare stretch without midweek matches, PSG finally have time to train rather than recover. According to The Athletic, the club sees this moment as an opportunity to reset rather than a warning sign.
Is this the calm before another dominant run, or the point where underlying flaws finally surface? PSG believe they are timing their peak. Critics wonder whether timing alone is enough.
The debate is open, are PSG still in control of their destiny, or are they one bad night away from a season slipping out of reach?
Sources: The Athletic, Tom Williams
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