Ex-Paris Saint-Germain player Jerome Rothen has told RMC Sport that the French champions miss former talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he "made the difference alone in complicated matches."
Les Parisiens' stuttering start to the Ligue 1 season continued on Friday with a surprise 2-0 loss away at Toulouse, and coach Unai Emery, who arrived in the summer, already finds himself under pressure from the French media.
Rothen, who was at PSG from 2004 to 2010, says people are "used to a team that dominates Ligue 1" and that, so far, his former club have fallen short.
"Yes, they look sluggish," Rothen said. "They were building a good run, their confidence was returning and then it quickly came to an end. It happened more because of a lack of efficiency up against [Toulouse goalkeeper Alban] Lafont than anything else, but the game then changed immediately in the second half.
"Losing 1-0, 10 men against 11, this is never an easy scenario. Yes, PSG are in difficulty right now but I am not worried about that exactly.
"This team still lacks some things and it is true Ibrahimovic made the difference alone in complicated matches. He is no longer there. Lucas [Moura] and [Angel] Di Maria are not doing what they are supposed to be, though."
Ibrahimovic, who joined Manchester United in the summer, was in the French media earlier this week when L'Equipe reported that the ex-Sweden international owes PSG money because the club helped him settle a tax issue in Italy when he first arrived in Paris in 2012.
However, Le Parisien countered those claims, and reported instead that PSG are waiting for a bank document from their former star.
L'Equipe should give people their money back. Another wrong article about Zlatan on Sept. 23 #bunchofnonsense #tweetcommelequipe- Mino Raiola (@MinoRaiola) September 24, 2016
Ibrahimovic's agent, Mino Raiola, appeared to back up Le Parisien's claims by mocking L'Equipe on Twitter and saying that the newspaper should "give people their money back" because of "another wrong article about Zlatan."
Jonathan Johnson covers PSG and the French national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @Jon_LeGossip.
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