Neymar still in individual training, Angel Di Maria in the recovery phase, Kylian Mbappé suspended, the Parisians appear without a real star in front of Bordeaux, this Wednesday evening (9 p.m.), amputated by 75% of its supposed fantastic.
Marco Verratti hit in the foot, Mauricio Pochettino's team, second in the standings, even flirts with banality, his own, not that of a Ligue 1 team.
Even for the French Championship, the troop remains powerful and technically above the others, with world champions (Presnel Kimpembe, Julian Draxler), titular internationals (Keylor Navas, Marquinhos) and supporting roles who all have a thing : Rafinha, the meaning of the pass;
Mauro Icardi, that of the goal.
And then there's Moise Kean, four goals in his last five outings.
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When it comes down to nothing, everyone imitates it, during a PSG-Monaco (2-0) which tightened the positions at the top of the championship.
“I have confidence in the team, opposes Mauricio Pochettino.
We have the potential and the arguments to win this match, to show that we have a strong team to keep moving forward, with talented players.
"
A championship upside down
This sixth defeat of the season was mitigated by the last day with the draws of Lille and Lyon.
The three-point victory (Paris has 18, the best total for the moment) allows him to erase his wanderings in Lorient or Lens.
It will take a new one in Aquitaine where success is slipping away: in crisis, Bordeaux remains on six defeats in seven matches in all competitions.
But it is a Ligue 1 where the first four stand in four points, where Montpellier can boast of being responsible for 66% of Lyon's setbacks (2 out of 3) this season.
In short, it is a championship upside down, resembling the Premier League, which seems to delight Pochettino, former resident of the English championship with a shifting hierarchy.
“This year, we see that the championship is surprising, it can be played anywhere,” he announces.
Including in Bordeaux, an evening when Lille and Lyon receive Marseille and Rennes, an evening when Monaco passes a head in Strasbourg, the 15th.
There is a championship to be won and in the immediate future, a pact to be respected.
This is only episode two, after the successful entry into Dijon.
The platforms can get dressed again: this is the best series of the year.