Explained: Why PSG Has Been Struggling Since the Start of 2023

• Paris Saint-Germain are enduring a streak of bad results
• The club have seen a downturn in form since the turn of the year
• Former coach of the Parisians, Laurent Blanc, has diagnosed the problems at the club

Olympique Lyon manager Laurent Blanc has revealed why Paris Saint-Germain have struggled since their round-of-16 Champions League exit.

Blanc, who coached PSG between 2013 and 2016, inflicted more misery on his former club, handing them their second successive home defeat in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

The defeat against Lyon adds to PSG's previous four losses in the French top flight as their campaign continues to falter.

Trying to make sense out of the Parisians' sudden slump of form, especially since the turn of the year, Blanc intimated the club turns to lose focus when they miss out on their Champions League ambitions.

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“The problem with Paris [PSG] is that when the number 1 objective is no longer accessible, it seems that the season no longer exists," he said as quoted by PSG Report.

Blanc continued: "If the UEFA Champions League continues, everything is fine. The Champions League stops, then everything stops and everything is over. It’s difficult to remobilize.”

PSG's Champions League collapse

The Parisians have craved Europe's premier club competition since the takeover by Qatar Sports Investment in 2011.

However, winning the big-eared trophy has proved extremely elusive despite the massive cash injection into revamping the squad, per Sporting News.

The 2019–20 season saw PSG reach the Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. That was the closest PSG has ever came to winning the competition.

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PSG's Champions League record

PSG stumble to another Ligue 1 setback

Sunday, April 2, saw Paris Saint-Germain lose at home for the second time in a row, falling 1-0 to Lyon, with their World Cup-winning superstar Lionel Messi being jeered by some fans, Sports Brief reported.

Bradley Barcola of Lyon handed PSG their most recent defeat at the Parc des Princes, two weeks after they lost 2-0 to Rennes at home.

The Parisians have lost five times in Ligue 1 this year, all in 2023, and Christophe Galtier's team is now only six points ahead of Lens in second position and Marseille in third.