PSG's injury crisis so bad that Luis Enrique is questioning his management

PARIS (AP) — The injuries are piling up so much for Paris Saint-Germain that coach Luis Enrique is questioning his management of the squad.

PSG's home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday was compounded by injuries to three major players: Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé (calf tear), right back Achraf Hakimi (sprained ankle) and left back Nuno Mendes (sprained knee).

They were arguably PSG’s three best players last season and they all face weeks out, as does rising star Désiré Doué (thigh tear). Nine PSG players have been injured since August and some — like Dembélé and Doué — have been injured twice.

“It is something I should handle much better, given all of my experience,” Luis Enrique said after the Bayern game.

But Champions League holder PSG appears to be paying the price for an exhausting last season, which stretched until the Club World Cup final in mid-July and saw some players appear in more than 60 games. PSG's high-octane style and incessant closing down of opponents also demands a lot.

Defending Ligue 1 champion PSG leads second-placed Marseille and Lens by two points heading into this weekend's games.

PSG's depleted defense could face a tough time at Lyon, which is in sixth place and is strong at home. A victory for Lyon on Sunday would move it to within one point of PSG and open up the title race even more.

There could be a shakeup in the top five with Lens traveling to play Monaco on Saturday and injury-hit Marseille hosting Brest.

Should Marseille's defense find itself in trouble, it can count on goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

His penalty save against Atalanta on Wednesday was the fourth he has stopped in the 10 faced since joining Marseille, taking his career tally to 11 out 42 saved.

According to Opta statistics, Rulli's 40% save ratio from spot kicks is the second highest in Europe's top five domestic leagues over the same time span, behind Napoli's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

United States forward Folarin Balogun is hitting form for Monaco. He scored his first Champions League goal on Wednesday, one week after netting in Ligue 1.

With PSG's attack decimated, Portugal striker Gonçalo Ramos could get a run of games.

He scored a header in the final seconds of the game against Nice last weekend to give PSG a 1-0 win. He has 38 goals in 101 games for PSG, many of those as a substitute.

Paul Pogba still has not played for Monaco and the former France star's comeback was delayed by a twisted ankle in training last week.

Marseille has several players missing, including U.S. winger Tim Weah (thigh), forward Amine Gouiri (shoulder operation), midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia (calf) and central defenders Leonardo Balerdi (calf) and Facundo Medina (ankle).

Toulouse player Aron Dønnum is set to appear before the French league disciplinary committee after being accused by Le Havre coach Didier Digard of making a racist gesture toward one of his players.

Following a 0-0 draw between the teams last Sunday, Digard said he thought Dønnum made a racist gesture with his hand toward Le Havre midfielder Simon Ebonog, who is Black, after the two players argued with each other.

Dønnum said his gesture, whereby he waved his hand in front of his face after Ebonog leaned toward him following a challenge, had “nothing to do with racism."

Toulouse issued a statement, saying it condemned “unfounded and particularly serious accusations.”

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PSG's Achraf Hakimi sits on the ground injured during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, France, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PSG's Nuno Mendes, from left, Ousmane Dembele and Marquinhos react during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, France, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PSG's Achraf Hakimi leaves the field injured during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, France, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts after the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in Paris, France, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — A coup that was announced in Benin on Sunday has been “foiled,” the interior minister said in a video on Facebook.

“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Alassane Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”

Earlier, a group of soldiers had appeared on Benin ’s state TV Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.

The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions. Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri was appointed president of the military committee, the soldiers said.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.

There has been no official news about President Patrice Talon since gunshots were heard around the presidential residence. However, the signal to the state television and public radio which was cut off has now been restored.

The regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the short-lived coup in a statement.

“ECOWAS strongly condemns this unconstitutional move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin. ... ECOWAS will support the Government and the people in all forms necessary to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Benin,” the bloc said in a statement.

Talon has been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.

Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.

The coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.

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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.

FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)