Istanbul (AFP)

By going to win 2-0 on Wednesday in Istanbul, Paris SG regained a foothold in the Champions League ... But the problems that have plagued them since the start of the school year are still there, first and foremost that of absences, with a new physical problem for Neymar .

Beaten at the opening (2-1) by Manchester United, the Parisians did most of the work on Wednesday by taking the three points against Basaksehir, who is playing the first C1 in its short history.

However, they do not hold there a reference match as this PSG is far from the steamroller that dominates Ligue 1 and which arrived in the C1 final last season.

- Neymar leaves, the environment depopulated -

The bad luck continues.

Around the 20th minute, Neymar limps out of the field.

The Brazilian superstar had his left thigh bandaged and climbed back onto the pitch, but a few minutes later he resigned himself to giving way to Pablo Sarabia.

"It's the adductor. I hope it's not yet an injury," commented his trainer Thomas Tuchel, pending the diagnosis of doctors.

Because after only two months, it would already be the third forced absence for + Ney + this season, after the coronavirus at the start of the school year (1 missed match) and the suspension (2 matches) for his red card against Marseille.

That makes a lot.

Especially for a player recently replaced as playmaker to overcome the hecatomb in the Parisian midfielder.

Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes, Julian Draxler are all three unavailable, although the first two are due to resume training in the coming days.

- Fatigue accumulates -

Additional difficulty for PSG: the schedule.

Champions of France and vice-champions of Europe, the Parisians are required to play on two fronts, with one match every three or four days.

Problem aggravated by their mobilization during the "Final 8" of the C1 in Lisbon in August, which then forced the Parisians to chain matches without adequate preparation.

Proof of this is that Layvin Kurzawa, sanctioned by a long suspension in Ligue 1, was one of the best Parisian players on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, he had a good preparation because he was suspended for 6 matches. (...) He had the opportunity to do, for three weeks, physical training," said Thomas Tuchel.

Kylian Mbappé played 573 minutes in October alone, club and French team combined.

Or more than six full matches.

In Istanbul, it started to be felt.

The French international, usually so fast, ran a lot less than usual.

"All matches are important, but when you play every two or three days it is still difficult, even if you are the biggest competitor," Kyky explained on the club's website before going to Turkey.

- The "spirit" is eroding -

Because the accumulation of matches, which is more without the support of the public, is also exhausting in the heads.

"Mentally, it's difficult to recover. In my mind, and many of us are feeling it, it's not a new season. (...) For me, we are in the 60th game of the season, and not in the 9th game of the new season, "complained Mbappé.

Enough to erode the + spirit + so often invoked by Tuchel, who was himself more irritable, and underlined "the effort that it is to always play behind closed doors, to always be responsible for creating an atmosphere ".

- Tactics fumble -

Finally, on the ground, the tactical choices of the German are constantly being discussed.

On Wednesday, he again switched the positions of captain Marquinhos, placed defensive midfielder, and Danilo Pereira, in central hinge, in a 4-4-2 pattern instead of his usual 4-3-3.

If Tuchel welcomed "a great game" for both players, many saw a more mixed result.

The Parisians did not take a goal on the Turkish club's counters, but they owe it more to the work of professional defenders (Kimpembe, Florenzi, Kurzawa) than to Danilo, who did not sweat serenity.

And + Marqui + did not have a decisive influence on construction.

Verratti's return is all the more urgent ... it will already be one less problem for Paris SG.

© 2020 AFP