3 main talking point after Paris Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich

Paris Saint-Germain were handed their first European defeat of the season as they suffered a 2-1 loss against Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes. Inside the first 45 minutes of the clash, the German giants outclassed the European Champions as Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi went down injured. Though, Luis Diaz who scored a brace was sent of following a horrendous challenge on the Moroccan, Harry Kane and his teammates held onto their lead and secured their 16th consecutive win to start the season.

Three key takeaways as PSG suffered first European defeat of the season

1. Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi set to be sidelined through injuries

Ahead of the clash against Bayern Munich, many were concerned about Ousmane Dembélé's fitness as he indicated pain to his thigh following PSG's narrow win against Nice over the weekend. However, Luis Enrique assured that the 2025 Ballon d'Or would be fit for the game. Yet, the 28-year-old only featured in the first 25 minutes of the game before suffering from another muscular injury.

The Frenchman will threrefore be reevaluated and could be sidelined for several weeks before returning to action with Paris.

Over 20 minutes later, it was Achraf Hakimi's turn to go down injured after a nasty challenge from Luis Diaz, just before halftime. The Colombian was sent off after a VAR check, but PSG's right back stayed down with what appeared to be a very painful injury as he left the pitch in tears, unable to stand on his left foot. Consequently, the Morocco international should be sidelined for a long time, with many sources indicating a three to five weeks recovery, though he could be longer.

Therefore, Luis Enrique will be forced to rely on Senny Mayulu and Warren Zaire-Emery to occupy the right-back position. The Spaniard who refused to sign a backup for Hakimi this season, could be forced to make a move during the winter transfer market if Hakimi's spell on the sideline is too long.

2. Marquinhos' disaterclass

Ahead of the game, many pointed out how important the partnership between Marquinhos and Willian Pacho would be against Bayern Munich and their impressive offensive players, such as Harry Kane and Michael Olise.

However, Les Parisiens were not only outclassed by their opponents, but also committed many mistakes, making it easier for the visitors to be dangerous. The worst moment of the game for the Brazilian was on Bayern's second goal as he gave away a cheap ball just in front of his box. This mistake showcased how difficult it was for Paris to develop their usual play style and build from the back and Marquinhos' symbolised the poor first 45 minutes from PSG.

3. A season plagued by injuries

PSG's treble-winning season was simply unbelievable, the most amazing feat of this squad was not just their ability to develop an attractive brand of football, but also their availability. The team led by Luis Enrique last year had almost no injuries and were able to align their best players on the biggest stages of the Champions League.

The former Barcelona coach was praised for his ability to avoid injuries through a well-organised system of rotation, involving almost every single players at his disposal. However, every changed this season. After a very short break between the two seasons, many key players have already been sidelined for several weeks due to muscular injuries, including Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué who have had multiple spells on the sideline, while Fabian Ruiz, Marquinhos and Joao Neves missed several weeks of competition as well.

Luis Enrique has rarely been able to put his strongest lineup this season for this reason which could also explain why they a little bit less dominant this season. This situation has pushed Enrique to start Ousmane Dembélé against Bayern Munich despite some fitness concerns, a choice he would hve never made last season.

Moreover, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes will miss several weeks of competition too limiting the choices of Luis Enrique and the overall quality of his team without half of his key players.