Paris Saint-Germain sits just one point above the relegation zone after two draws and two losses in four matches

You have to read it twice to believe it: Paris Saint-Germain, back-to-back European champions, sit just one point above the relegation zone in Ligue 1. That is how strange the Parisian club's start to the season looks.

With only two points from three matches, PSG occupy 13th place out of 18 teams, and could be even lower if fate hadn't thrown them a couple of favors. Luis Enrique's side had to come back from 2-0 down twice just to salvage draws, including an equalizer in stoppage time against Lille on August 28. But the luck ran out last Friday, when they fell 2-1 at home to Monaco.

That defeat made it four straight matches without a win, counting the 1-0 loss to Lens in the French Super Cup, a game in which the opponent played the entire second half with ten men after a red card and still walked away with all three points.

PSG's domestic record tells the story bluntly: no wins, two losses, two draws and seven goals conceded. A far cry from the team that just months ago was knocking out Europe's best clubs and playing, by many accounts, the most eye-catching soccer on the continent.

Luis Enrique, however, didn't seem worried after the setback against Monaco. The Spanish coach insisted his team deserved to win by a wider margin and downplayed the seven points already separating them from the league leaders.

"If they want to bet on who will be champion at the end of the season, we can make a bet. Seven points? Fine, we'll look to fix that as soon as possible."Luis Enrique

Midfielder João Neves was more self-critical and admitted the team isn't showing "the best version of itself." Monaco coach Filipe Luís offered a similar take, saying his team simply pressed high against an opponent that isn't at its best right now.

Forwards who can't find the net

None of PSG's big attacking names, not Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, not Désiré Doué, not Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, has scored in the last four matches. Dembélé wasn't even in the starting lineup against Lille, and against Monaco he only came on in the second half.

The goals that did come were from veteran center back Marquinhos and new signing Ferran Torres, who scored a substitute's brace to salvage the draw in Rennes. Both have two goals apiece.

A transfer window that missed the mark?

Luis Enrique said he was satisfied with the summer transfer window and thanked club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Alongside Torres, PSG brought in French winger Maghnes Akliouche and young Belgian Mika Godts, all capable of playing as mobile forwards, but all needing time to adapt to the club's demanding system of constant pressing and physical wear.

Meanwhile, PSG said goodbye to three established attacking pieces: Gonçalo Ramos left for AC Milan, Lee Kang-In for Atlético Madrid and Bradley Barcola for Liverpool. Ramos was a lethal finisher and an aerial specialist, Lee brought work rate and technical quality in combination play, and Barcola offered speed and goals.

Luis Enrique spent three years building a team where every piece depends on the others, and now, by overhauling the attack all at once, he may have thrown that machinery out of balance. PSG remains exposed on the counterattack and urgently needs to sharpen its transition game, precisely what had been its great strength over the last three seasons.

Next Wednesday, PSG hosts Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League, a fixture that could help lift spirits before the crisis deepens any further.