For Mauricio Pochettino, this is a first “accident”, to use the term used by the Argentinian at a press conference.
For PSG, the surreal defeat of this Sunday in Lorient (3-2) rather looks like a pile-up, the responsibility of which is shared between players and a coach silenced by the rain and Breton envy.
The new Parisian coach saw his first turmoil in the capital.
Not sure, however, that he expected this scenario from Lorient.
Is the defeat deserved?
Without a doubt, yes.
From the start of the meeting, the gap in the standings between Lorient (19th) and PSG (1st) evaporated.
The fault, above all, of well-prepared Bretons.
“I asked my players to take risks in the exit of the ball.
I give them a score of 10 out of 10 ”, welcomes Merlus coach Christophe Pélissier.
Impossible, however, not to note the lack of energy and inventiveness of the Parisians.
How can Neymar, Mbappé, Icardi and Di Maria offer such a poor performance?
If one is allowed to miss it, it remains strange to see the entire quartet missing so many passes, combinations and getting so wrong in the game.
Paris, however, always knows how to get by.
Neymar, even half-hearted, retains that intoxicating power for defenders on any acceleration.
His perfect mastery of the technical exercise of the penalty (two successful this Sunday, 20 out of 21 with PSG) remains a model.
At 2-1, he and his teammates should have secured a lucky but valuable success.
On the contrary, they let Lorient believe in it after Yoann Wissa and Terem Moffi came into play as if, with great respect, it was Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The disorder of a private defense of Marquinhos ended up offering the victory to Lorient on a final counter-attack.
Is the Pochettino paw there?
Thomas Tuchel had lost four times in the league.
Once in a comparable scenario, in Monaco, where his PSG led 2-0 before losing 3-2.
For Pochettino, this is unprecedented after five outings in Ligue 1. So far, the leg of the Argentine was visible (4-2-3-1, a certain mastery of events).
This Sunday, she flew away.
“When you lose, it's normal to try to find out the reasons.
We lose together but the main responsible is me, ”he pleads after the match.
The theory of the accident is put forward by the former Tottenham.
In hollow, however, it delivers other messages.
"We did not move the ball fast enough, we lacked mobility, he regrets about the first period in particular.
We never found the pace we wanted to impose on Lorient.
This meeting proves above all that, when we do not impose our rhythm and our game, these things happen.
By pointing to the general attitude, Pochettino reveals that the system of four offensive players is not the element responsible for this failure.
He should keep this pattern from this Wednesday against Nîmes at home.
“We are still looking for our balance,” he concludes.
Is this worrying for the title?
Neymar couldn't believe it.
On the goal of Moffi, that of 3-2, the Brazilian let explode all his anger from the midfielder.
How could PSG have forgotten to defend at this point at the end of the match?
"We looked for victory and the defensive organization was confused," said Pochettino.
It is an understatement as the spaces left for Lorient were large.
Failing to win, Paris should not have lost.
This point of the lost draw could be vital at the time of reckoning, the evening of the 38th day.
This Sunday evening, the Parisians find the capital as third in the championship.
Lille and Lyon have regained the first two places.
Five losses is a lot.
The last time such a total was reached, in 2016-2017, Kylian Mbappé's Monaco seized the final throne.
Pochettino has no margin for error and the schedule is accelerating: Nîmes, Marseille, Nice are on the program before the return of the Champions League and the trip to Barcelona.
