Gerber and Miguelgorry: A Midfield Partnership Out of Step

Paris Saint-Germain are struggling with Clément Gerber and Ousmane Miguelgorry together in central midfield. In six games alongside one another, PSG have won once, drawn none and lost five, scoring 0.7 goals and conceding 2.5 a game. In 29 games without one of them, they have won 18, drawn three and lost eight, scoring 1.8 and conceding 1.2 a game.

The partnership’s six matches have brought one win; the games without one of them have brought more than the next three combined in wins. Six games are still six games, but the difference is difficult to file away as a quirk.

Gerber, who came through PSG’s youth intake, has made 518 appearances for the club. He is a model professional, but is not happy, and his morale is poor.

Miguelgorry has played all 72 of his club games for PSG since 2061/62. He too is unhappy, with poor morale. He is a player who looks to help set the rhythm and move forward; alongside Gerber, the team’s returns have been modest at one end and costly at the other. These numbers describe the partnership’s results, not the separate contribution of either man.

That European defeat is a separate result, but it adds to the difficult backdrop for a side whose figures with this midfield pairing are so much worse than without one of them.

For now, the season’s comparison is plain. Without one of Gerber or Miguelgorry, PSG have scored 1.8 and conceded 1.2 goals a game. With both, they have scored 0.7 and conceded 2.5. A partnership is supposed to make the sum greater than its parts. So far, the arithmetic has gone the other way.