From the late 1990s until 2011, Paris Saint-Germain were one of world football's great sleeping giants. Despite their status as the only major club in the continent's third largest metropolitan area, PSG were an afterthought on the European stage -- until they were purchased by the Qatar Investment Authority. Their new owners have wiped the old ways away, ushering in an era of huge spending on some of the biggest stars in world football.
Since, PSG have firmly established themselves as one of the biggest clubs in the world. They've won Ligue 1 in both of the last two seasons, and have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in both of those campaigns. They're clearly capable of winning the first European Cup in their history sometime in the near future, but they're currently struggling to get over the hump. They've been competitive in their quarterfinal defeats, giving both Barcelona and Chelsea serious scares, but it was clear on both occasions that their opponents were a slight class above.
The Qatar Investment Authority would love to spend more and attract the biggest names in the sport to PSG in order to reach the top of the mountain for the first time, but they were dealt a bit of a blow when they were handed Financial Fair Play sanctions at the end of last season. The Parisians weren't punished so harshly that they can't spend -- they dropped €50 million on David Luiz, after all -- but they'll face more serious sanctions next summer if they're found to have spent significantly more than they make in revenue, or worse, try to circumvent the rules.
PSG are pursuing further signings, but they need to make some sales to offset those purchases. Their season starts on Friday, but it's not clear what the squad is going to look come the close of the transfer window.
When we last met
Their Champions League exit was as dramatic as it was heartbreaking. PSG won the first leg of their quarterfinal tie against Chelsea 3-1 at home, with Javier Pastore scoring a brilliant 93rd minute goal to make his side the clear favorites to advance heading to Stamford Bridge. But PSG were poor in the return leg, allowing an early goal by Andre Schürrle, then an 87th minute winner by substitute Demba Ba. PSG played to hold onto their lead, and they paid for it.
Domestically, PSG faced competition for the Ligue 1 title throughout the season from AS Monaco, but looked like the superior side for most of the campaign. They were aided by a serious knee injury to Falcao, Monaco's biggest star, in the winter. The race went down to the third-to-last round of the season, when Monaco drew before their title rivals' match kicked off, sealing a second straight Ligue 1 crown for PSG.
Ins and outs
Veterans Alex and Jeremy Menez are the only senior players who have left PSG so far this summer, with both going to AC Milan on free transfers. Since PSG didn't get a fee for either and they weren't among the club's highest earners, their departures don't do much to help their FFP situation.
David Luiz is PSG's lone summer signing thus far, joining from Chelsea. His €50m transfer fee is the highest ever paid for a defender, breaking the record set by ... PSG. Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, teammates of David Luiz with Brazil, are the second and third most expensive defenders of all time.
Transfer business still to come
Angel Di Maria has been the big name linked to PSG all summer, but the deal has yet to go through. Rumor has it that Di Maria prefers a move to a Premier League club if he's going to leave Madrid, but there isn't a Premier League club willing to match PSG's bid. All of this means that Di Maria, as of right now, is going nowhere. He seems willing to be patient and risk ending up riding the pine at the Bernabeu this season.
PSG have also been loosely linked to Barcelona right back Dani Alves, perhaps as part of a swap for Marquinhos, but that hasn't come off yet. With Serge Aurier coming to PSG on a loan-to-buy move, that potential transfer is probably dead in the water. Barcelona are still reportedly interested in Marquinhos, but aren't putting all of their eggs in that basket, and are sniffing around other defenders.
Ezequiel Lavezzi has been linked to Liverpool lately, while Javier Pastore is probably available for sale, even if there haven't been any big rumors about him. If PSG are bringing in Di Maria, they'll probably sell one of Pastore or Lavezzi, though it's not clear at all which one they'd sell or how much they'd get in return.
And then there's the possibility that PSG could just cut their losses on Cavani and move him on for a fee slightly lower than the one they paid last summer. Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked to him, while Real Madrid might join the race if Monaco want way too much money for Falcao.
Big questions
Does Laurent Blanc know how to use Edinson Cavani? - When PSG purchased Edinson Cavani from Napoli for €64m last summer, it was a vanity purchase, not one made to fill a need. Real Madrid were getting Gareth Bale, Barcelona signed Neymar and Bayern Munich had already locked up Mario Götze, so PSG got the best player left on the market for the sake of it.
Problem is, Cavani plays the same position as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Laurent Blanc experimented with wide and narrow variations of 4-4-2 with the two players partnered, as well as a 4-3-3 with Cavani wide right. It's not the best use of his talents, and if PSG are going to continue to play him there, he's clearly a huge waste of money.
But Cavani is arguably PSG's second best attacking or midfield player. He should be accommodated in a way that doesn't result in Zlatan Ibrahimovic being moved out of position. Assuming Cavani is still a PSG player in September, can Blanc figure out how to get the most out of both of his stars without mangling the rest of his team?
How will Angel Di Maria be used if he arrives? - It's impossible to classify Di Maria as just a midfielder or a winger. He's played as a shuttling midfielder in a diamond, on the left and right wing, as a wingback and as the most advanced midfielder in a three-man center over the course of his career. That last position is probably his best -- it's where he was so good for Madrid last season and Argentina at the World Cup -- but that might not be his role at PSG.
Di Maria is versatile enough that he can be moved around based on changes in formation and available personnel, but spending upwards of €80m on a utility man seems silly. If he joins PSG without Blanc having an obvious plan for him, he could end up a lot like Cavani, and having €144m in transfer fees plus nearly €100m in wages sunk into two players who don't fit the system is pretty awful business.
Key players
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Clearly the biggest name on the squad, but also the most important. Ibrahimovic is central to everything that PSG does, which is why Cavani was shuffled all over the place. Ibrahimovic needs to be accommodated, because he is worth accommodating.
The first thing that you notice with Ibrahimovic is that he tries things no one else will try. Not because he's the only player talented enough to to flicks and tricks and score 30-yard bombs, but because he's the only one who will verbally tell off his coach if he's criticized for killing a promising attack by getting too ambitious with his pass or his shot. The second thing you notice is that, despite his quality passes and great assist numbers, Ibrahimovic appears to be more selfish than most strikers. This is probably due to outright arrogance, but not all arrogance is unfounded; if Ibrahimovic thinks that an audacious overhead kick attempt is more effective than a knockdown header to a teammate or that a backheel flick is more effective than a simple pass, it's probably because it's true.
In addition to being amazing at football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also trademarked his own name, has a social media campaign called #DareToZlatan centered around not giving a damn about anything, and was the subject of this wonderful parody video (NSFW language) about his exit from Barcelona.
Blaise Matuidi - 'Water-carrier' is a term that is often used as a pejorative for players like Blaise Matuidi. It's used to describe players who only exist to pass the ball to actual creators, but it doesn't apply to Matuidi and the player he supposedly carries the water for, playmaker Marco Verratti. He's not a hard worker who makes Verratti better, but more like the player whose workrate is the only reason a player like Verratti is a viable starter at all.
Matuidi reprised this role for France during the World Cup, doing so much work that Les Bleus lost nothing by allowing Yohan Cabaye to sit in place, spray the ball around and do a minimal amount of defensive work. Verratti's added a bit more defensive work to his game in the last year, so Matuidi will do more complimenting him than cleaning up after his messes, but his effort -- especially in getting back to slow down opposing counter-attacks -- will be huge for PSG.
Thiago Silva - David Luiz may be the most expensive defender of all time, but Brazil's World Cup clash with Germany should make it clear who the better player is of the two. The Brazilians were excellent defensively until the semifinal, when they were without Thiago Silva due to suspension. Without his team's captain and calming partner at his side, David Luiz imploded, along with the rest of his teammates, in an embarrassing 7-1 loss.
Thiago Silva is the most complete defender in the world, and his presence allows PSG to spend on a player like Luiz, who's best games are better than any other defender can produce, but whose worst performances are complete and utter meltdowns. Thiago Silva will be the stable rock that allows David Luiz to carry the ball forward and go for risky clearances.
With Alex gone and no direct replacement lined up, PSG are only going to be as good as Thiago Silva is healthy. A central defense pairing of David Luiz and Marquinhos is probably good enough to help them to a Ligue 1 title with all of the talent surrounding them, but not good enough to compete with the world's elite in Champions League.
Projected ideal starting XI
Paris Saint-Germain have been playing with a 4-3-3 formation throughout preseason -- including in their Trophée des Champions win over the weekend -- but this is without Cavani fully fit or Di Maria in the squad. Blanc could also play a slight variation on this setup, with Lucas operating beneath the two strikers, while Di Maria and Matuidi play as shuttling midfielders ahead of Verratti.
Key reserves: DF Marquinhos, DF Maxwell, DF Gregory van der Wiel, MF Thiago Motta, MF Yohan Cabaye, MF Clement Chantome, MF Adrian Rabiot, MF Javier Pastore, FW Ezequiel Lavezzi, FW Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, FW Hervin Ongenda
One of Lavezzi or Pastore is going to depart if Di Maria comes in, but they're both under contract with PSG at the moment, so they're both here. Motta and Cabaye are excellent rotational players in midfield, and there's minimal drop-off from the starters to them. Marquinhos could still leave, but PSG's asking price is steep enough that it appears he'll be staying put. Bahebeck and Ongenda are young players who have impressed in friendlies.
So, how do I watch PSG this season?
If you live in the United States, you can catch all of PSG's games on beIN Sportw, which is now available through most major cable and satellite providers. Like PSG, beIN Sports is owned by the ruling family of Qatar, so all of their games are shown on the channel the day that they're played, though many are shown on delay. If you want to watch all of the games live, they're shown on beIN Sport Play, the internet streaming service that's free to beIN Sports TV subscribers.
beIN Sports also has a channel and streaming service in Canada where they show PSG's games. In the UK, ESPN is the rights holder and will show most games, though not all of them like beIN Sports will.
Predictions
It would be stunning if PSG didn't one again win Ligue 1 with multiple rounds remaining in the competition. Monaco have already sold James Rodriguez, who's begging Falcao to come join him in Madrid, and would like to take it easy in the transfer market this year to avoid any FFP sanctions. Lille, Lyon and Marseille aren't bad teams, and their battle with Monaco for 2nd-5th will be interesting, but it's difficult to see any of them presenting a real challenge to the defending champions. League: 1st.
The Champions League, meanwhile, is an entirely different story. David Luiz and Angel Di Maria might be good enough acquisitions to take them to the next level, but is there really any reason to believe PSG have a better team than any of the English giants? Or than Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, none of whom have gone backwards this summer? There are at least three teams in this competition better than PSG, and probably more like seven or eight. They've bumped into the glass ceiling and they haven't done enough to crash through just yet. Champions League: quarterfinals.