Doubts persist over PSG’s fitness

Paris Saint-Germain’s second-half drop-off against Stade Brestois in the draw to Stade Brestois called into question the fitness of Luis Enrique’s side. “It’s not a physical problem. It’s ridiculous to say that,” said the PSG manager, however, the physicality of this team remains in question. 

Statistics show that in the UEFA Champions League group stage, only Real Madrid covered less distance per match on average, with Les Parisiens covering an average distance of 113,84km. Meanwhile, L’Équipe report that some of PSG’s opponents in Ligue 1 have been “surprised” by PSG’s lack of physicality in duels. Whilst Luis Enrique publically continues to deny a physical issue at the club, internal figures are now asking questions on the subject. 

PSG players hire personal trainers

The day-to-day routine at PSG consists of one hour of intense training, with a 20/30 minute warm-up, based on the player’s individual needs, and whilst compared to Christophe Galtier, Luis Enrique favours more work on the ball, there are very few timeouts in the Spaniard’s sessions.

However, for some PSG players, that isn’t enough, and they are aware of that. Members of Les Parisiens’ squad felt outrun during the Champions League defeat against Newcastle United earlier this season and noted an ability to compete with their Premier League opponents physically. 

As a result, many players, through their entourage sought to hire personal trainers, in order to add to their daily sessions, carried out at PSG’ Le Campus training centre, according to L’Équipe. If physicality is a weakness at PSG, it will be exploited by the top teams, especially in the Champions League, with a Round of 16 encounter against Real Sociedad now just over a week away. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle