Paris Saint-Germain slipped to a second defeat in three Ligue 1 matches with a staggering 4-2 loss away Saturday at SC Bastia. Not only does that mean Laurent Blanc's men are winless in their past three games in Le Championnat, but Les Parisiens also blew the chance to go top -- even just temporarily -- after Olympique de Marseille lost 2-1 away at Montpellier HSC on Friday. Instead, they slip to fourth.
To make matters worse, PSG had taken the lead and were looking quite comfortable after 20 minutes.
Lucas Moura opened the scoring with a brilliant lobbed effort, before Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead with a simple finish. What followed was truly shocking, though, with Bastia pulling level before halftime, through Ryad Boudebouz's questionable penalty and Francois Modesto's tame header. A Julian Palmieri double -- included one sensational strike -- completed the come-from behind win in the second half.
It was a worrying performance for PSG fans, particularly after seeing the team build up such a comfortable lead against what was, prior to the match, one of the two worst attacking outfits in Ligue 1. In a very good opening period, it looked as if the French champions were going to pick up where they left off after the 3-0 Coupe de France win away at Montpellier on Monday. However, that early focus and application to task quickly wore off, and the defence were unacceptably poor after that.
Although they only performed for the opening 20 minutes or so, the attacking unit should not really be criticised, as they did build up what should have been an unassailable lead. Indeed, it could have been greater, had Lucas not shot just wide after opening the scoring. However, the positives stop there, and the focus must switch to the defence.
The back line of captain Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Gregory van der Wiel and Maxwell deserves considerable scrutiny. While Palmieri's wonder strike would not have been prevented by a stronger defence than PSG's or a better goalkeeper than Nicolas Douchez, there was plenty the capital club's rear guard could have done to keep out the other scores.
Van der Wiel, in particular, was poor in Corsica, and it was his handball that gave away the penalty for the hosts' first goal. His inability to stay with his man contributed to Palmieri's goal too. Luiz was equally as poor in sticking tighter to teammate Maxwell for the corner that brought about Modesto's equaliser during a particularly poor second half.
There was also a clear lack of leadership, which stems from Silva. The Brazilian had looked improved against Montpellier, but once again he seemed to shrink and disappear after PSG conceded the first goal. Silva has been a shadow of his former self this season, and his inability to keep his defensive partners calm contributed to the shambolic showing for the final hour or so.
Another who needs to be questioned is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or Blanc, or whoever it is that keeps deciding to play the Swede when it is obvious he is not fully fit. Since his return from a heel injury, PSG's talisman has struggled to string two good performances together, and this was no exception. Playing for 90 minutes against Montpellier, on Altrad Stadium's shocking excuse for a pitch, the 33-year-old's heel was almost certainly not in the best of conditions going into the Bastia clash, and it showed.
Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani were absent because of an internal suspension, due to their failure to report for the mid-season training camp in Morocco, but even without them, Blanc could still have given Jean-Christophe Bahebeck a deserved start. The Frenchman's display could only have been an improvement on Ibrahimovic's, and he managed to do more in 21-minute cameo than Ibrahimovic did in a full 90.
With AS Saint-Etienne -- now third in Ligue 1 -- to come in the Coupe de la Ligue quarterfinal Tuesday, PSG must lick their wounds and recover from this massive setback. If the capital club cannot raise their level of performance at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, the wheels really are starting to fall off for the champions, and Blanc's position could -- and probably will -- be in jeopardy.