Luis Enrique rarely lets slip any admission of his team's weaknesses. The Spaniard described Paris St-Germain's defeat at Sporting in the Champions League last week as their best away performance since he took over as manager in 2023. That is a bold claim, given the European champions have won in Barcelona and scored seven in Leverkusen this season alone. But the statistics do not necessarily contradict his assessment, even if the PSG boss may have been looking to shield his players from increased criticism.

PSG appeared to have a firm grip on the match, with three-quarters of the possession, 28 shots, and three disallowed goals, but were undone by a late double from Sporting's Colombia striker Luis Suarez. "We deserved to win, but that's how it is in football," said Luis Enrique. Despite controlling the game, issues which plagued the start of the Parisians' Champions League campaign last season - as they went winless in four fixtures - seem to have resurfaced.

Just like in the autumn of 2024, their otherwise authoritative displays have been undermined by defensive mistakes and poor finishing. Last year, the spectacular turnaround in form which culminated in a treble was helped by some clinical finishing, especially in away matches where chances were few and far between. At the same time, low blocks were taken apart by a fluid front three led by Ousmane Dembele in an all-action false-nine role.

However, the free-flowing attacks from last season have been replaced by long passages of stale possession this term - as the league defeats by Marseille and Monaco illustrated. Those results could be explained by the injury crisis which meant Dembele, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi were all sidelined in the autumn.

The Coupe de France loss to Paris FC earlier this month, though, seemed to confirm something is not clicking for PSG. A convincing win over Lille a few days later, in which Dembele scored an improbable lob from the edge of the box, only briefly hinted at a return to their best. PSG were then wasteful in defeat in Portugal and again in the 1-0 win at Auxerre last Friday. "We created a lot of chances, but we're lacking a bit of confidence and accuracy to finish them," Luis Enrique said after the latter victory which meant his side moved above Lens to the top of Ligue 1.

PSG are also currently in the top eight of the Champions League's league phase, but have so far not matched the impressive standards set last season. For the better part of a calendar year, the Parisians could afford to go without a nominal centre-forward. Dembele was enough of a focal point to draw defenders out of position, while pressing intensely and notching a career-best goalscoring return.

This season, the other PSG forwards have been too inconsistent to make up for the Frenchman's absences. Dembele, who is only just returning to full fitness, came off the bench to assist Bradley Barcola's late winner against Auxerre. Until then, Goncalo Ramos had struggled to make a decisive impact - as has often been the case when the Portugal forward starts. Ramos undoubtedly has the skillset to be the focal point of PSG's star-studded attack, but struggles to find enough space to involve himself.

To his credit, the former Benfica man does link up well with his team-mates when dropping deeper, but has struggled to score consistently outside of late-game cameos. While PSG's recent fast-tracking of academy graduates into the first team has been a success, their rise in playing time has inevitably come with uneven performances as young players find their feet in senior football.

Senny Mayulu, for instance, has filled in at centre-forward, winger, midfielder and right-back to varying degrees of success. Ibrahim Mbaye, who starred for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations as an impact substitute, looked slightly off the pace as he was brought straight back into PSG's starting XI on Friday. Warren Zaire-Emery, now in his fourth season in the first team but still only 19, has been a more than serviceable stand-in for Hakimi at full-back. The Moroccan's influence in the final third, though, has been difficult for the France international to replicate.

Hakimi's imminent return to action, having been out with an ankle injury since November, could offer PSG a new attacking dimension - and give Zaire-Emery some much-needed rest. PSG's short summer break, with the Super Cup coming exactly a month after the Club World Cup final, may also have contributed to their middling performances this season.

A travel-heavy schedule, which included a midweek trip to Kuwait for the Trophee des Champions earlier this month - when PSG beat Marseille on penalties - will also not have helped a depleted squad. Luis Enrique, though, has dismissed any suggestion of fatigue as a deciding factor. "It's all in the head," he said before their 2-1 league win over Paris FC at the start of January. "When we're winning 5-0, nobody's tired. When we lose, everybody's tired. It's normal."

This season's summer signings, meanwhile, have struggled to win fans over. Lucas Chevalier has fended off competition from Matvey Safonov for now, notably thanks to his heroics in the Trophee des Champions, but Gianluigi Donnarumma's replacement in goal remains under pressure after some high-profile errors.

In Lisbon, the France keeper was first called into action 20 minutes from time, when he was beaten by Suarez for Sporting's opening goal. The 24-year-old then parried a shot straight into Suarez's path for the Colombian's second goal. Illia Zabarnyi, who has similarly been under fire over a series of individual mistakes, was also too passive in his defending for Sporting's winner.

Luis Enrique has reiterated his support for the new arrivals, pointing out the spotlight of the French capital does not make for the easiest environment in which to adapt. "The first thing I like to do whenever we sign a player, is to tell them to be careful - at Paris St-Germain you'll be criticised in your first season whatever you do," the manager said.

Before Wednesday's match against Newcastle, the 55-year-old urged his team to play with more authority. "We have to control matches and passages of play," Luis Enrique said. "We have to know that the ball is ours, and defend how we want. We're going to try to dominate and win the match." At this stage last year, PSG were on the verge of crashing out of Europe entirely - before an upturn in form culminated in the greatest night in the club's history.

The stakes are not as high this time around, although a winner-takes-all battle for a top-eight spot with Newcastle will be enticing nonetheless. The prospect of two extra European matches would not be too serious a setback for PSG, given their domestic cup exit has already thinned out their fixture list. But more than clearing their February schedule, the European champions will be looking to rediscover last season's attacking spark now their squad is nearly back to its full complement.