The reaction in France to Paris Saint-all-star Germain's team's Champions League debut against Club Brugge in Tuesday has been harsh.
PSG, football's new galacticos following Lionel Messi's arrival, were dubbed "ghost-like" by sports daily L'Equipe after a 1-1 draw against the Belgian champions in the Argentine's debut start for his new club.
For the first time, Messi teamed up with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, but "the dream of seeing the 'MNM' together almost turned into a nightmare," as Le Parisien described it.
Mauricio Pochettino's side - among the leading pre-tournament favourites to win European club football's biggest award - are up against it just to reach the last 16 after a draw away to, on paper, the weakest team in their Champions League group.
They'll play Manchester City next, and then RB Leipzig, two teams that beat PSG in the Champions League last season.
The encounter in Bruges served as a reminder that the Qatar-owned club cannot win games just on the backs of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, even if the latter set up Ander Herrera's goal.
In midfield, they were without Idrissa Gana Gueye, who was suspended, and Marco Verratti, who was injured.
Angel di Maria has been placed on leave. Sergio Ramos is yet to participate due to an injury at the back.
"We know we have to improve," Pochettino stated.
"We have a fantastic group, but we need to strike a balance between being creative up front and being sturdy in the back. That will take some time."
When compared to Pep Guardiola's City, who thrashed Leipzig 6-3 in midweek and will visit Paris later this month, it's alarming.
Messi will have had at least three more games to adjust to his new teammates by then, starting with PSG's biggest domestic test yet, Sunday's home match against Lyon.
PSG has a perfect record in Ligue 1 so far, scoring 16 goals in five games, but they will face a Lyon side that is in form, having defeated Rangers 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Boateng, a mainstay for Bayern last season, made his Lyon debut last weekend, coming off the bench in a 3-1 win over Strasbourg, and then starting against Rangers in Glasgow.
Since joining his new club, the former Manchester City player has been dealing with additional troubles, including a 1.8 million-euro ($2 million) fine from a German court for abusing an ex-girlfriend three years ago.
Boateng, who is attempting to focus on football in the face of his legal issues, will confront PSG's superstar assault this weekend when Lyon visits the Parc des Princes.
