The union of Unai Emery, the architect of Sevilla's unprecedented success in the Europa League, and Paris Saint-Germain, France's most decorated club, was intended to be a fast track to European glory.
Some teething problems were expected, too, but Emery's Parisians now stand on the precipice of crisis.
They are the four-time defending French champions who had the title won by mid-March last season.
With their financial clout and other institutional advantages, they have easily swept aside all domestic challengers for half a decade, but that accustomed dominance is proving elusive this season.
