Paris Saint-Germain: Why are the Champions League holders struggling to reach the top of their game?

For the better part of the calendar year, the Parisians could afford to play without a nominal centre-forward.

Dembele was enough of a focal point to push defenders out of position, while pressing intensely and scoring the best goal of his career.

This season, PSG’s other strikers have been too inconsistent to make up for the Frenchman’s absence.

Dembele, who has only just returned to full fitness, came off the bench to help Bradley Barkola’s late winner against Auxerre.

Until then, Goncalo Ramos had struggled to make a decisive impact – as was often the case when the Portuguese striker started.

Ramos undoubtedly has the skills to be the focal point of Paris Saint-Germain’s star-studded attack, but he struggles to find enough space to involve himself.

To his credit, the former Benfica man connects well with his teammates when dropped deeper, but he struggles to score consistently outside of late games.

While Paris Saint-Germain’s recent fast-tracking of academy graduates into the first team has been successful, their rise in playing time has inevitably come with uneven performances as young players find their feet in senior football.

For example, Ceni Maiolo has played as a striker, winger, midfielder and right-back with varying degrees of success.

Ibrahim Mbaye, who starred for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations as an influential substitute, looked slightly out of form when he was brought straight back into Paris Saint-Germain’s starting lineup on Friday.

Warren Zaire Emery, now in his fourth season in the first team but still only 19 years old, has been a useful replacement for Hakimi at full-back.

However, it was difficult for the France international to replicate the Moroccan’s influence in the final third.

Hakimi’s imminent return to action, having been sidelined with an ankle injury since November, could provide Paris Saint-Germain with a new attacking dimension – and give Zaire Emery some much-needed rest.

PSG’s short summer break, with the Super Cup coming up exactly a month after the Club World Cup final, may also have contributed to their mediocre performances this season.

A busy travel schedule, which included a midweek trip to Kuwait for the Champions Cup earlier this month – when Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille on penalties – will not help the depleted squad either.

But Luis Enrique dismissed any suggestion of fatigue as a deciding factor.

“It’s all on my mind,” he said before the 2-1 win over Paris in the league at the beginning of January.

“When we win 5-0, no one feels tired. When we lose, everyone feels tired. This is normal.”