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PARIS -- Spanish coach Unai Emery was hired to turn Paris Saint-Germain into a European force, yet the team looks considerably weaker than last season.When PSG won a second straight French treble last season, coach Laurent Blanc was nevertheless fired for again failing to get past the quarterfinals of the Champions League.The clubs Qatari owners, eager to fast-track PSG into the top bracket of Europe alongside Barcelona and Bayern Munich, saw Emery as the coach to do it.Last season, he guided modest Spanish side Sevilla to a third straight Europa League title, with an aggressive style based on hard pressing and rapid counterattacks.Although there was nothing remarkable about his tactics, what stood out was a seemingly unbreakable bond between coach and players, a sense of sacrifice and teamwork chronically absent in PSG sides reliant on the individual brilliance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Angel Di Maria.Shortly before Blanc was fired in late June, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi gave a newspaper interview where he spoke glowingly of Sevillas performance in the Europa League final against Liverpool. When he said changes were quickly needed, Blancs days were numbered.But Emery has struggled to make an impact, and his methods seem to be confusing his players, who are adapting to a rigid approach after years of playing attack-minded, expansive football under Blanc and his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.Key players like midfielder Blaise Matuidi are playing below their best under Emery, whose summer signings have also yet to make an impact.Winger Hatem Ben Arfa, holding midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, former Real Madrid forward Jese, and right back Thomas Meunier were on the bench against Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday, raising the question as to why Emery signed them.Krychowiak was one of Emerys key players at Sevilla, while the fleet-footed Ben Arfa was outstanding for Nice last season, scoring 17 league goals.Considering PSG won the league by a record 31 points last season, domestic dominance was supposed to be a given for Emery. Even though Ibrahimovic left to join Manchester United, PSG retained the likes of Di Maria, striker Edinson Cavani, and Italy midfielder Marco Verratti.Plenty more talent than other teams in Ligue 1.But after two early league defeats -- as many as last season -- PSG is four points behind surprise leader Nice heading into Sundays showdown with bitter rival Marseille. Last weekend, PSG held on to win 2-1 at Nancy, a promoted team at the bottom the league.Add in some mediocre performances in the Champions League, and it looks so far that PSG is going backward rather than forward.Emery needs a good result and a strong performance on Sunday to reassure fans.PSGs 3-0 win against Basel looks a comfortable one given the result, but Basel missed four clear chances before PSGs first goal, and hit the post three times.PSGs passing was scrappy and the transition from midfield to attack stunted.The defense looked hugely vulnerable, despite featuring the vastly experienced Thiago Silva -- Brazils former captain -- and Marquinhos, who stood out for Brazil when it won the Olympic gold medal in August.The midfield was easily overrun at times by an average Basel which did nothing more than up the tempo of its passing.These are alarming defects, and there is a clear lack of identity in Emerys side.While it may not cost PSG a league title, the European success so craved by its impatient ownership seems a very long shot at best. 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Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Breaking into the win column has been a chore for both Real Salt Lake and the Vancouver Whitecaps in recent matches. They will try to turn things around when the two teams meet Wednesday at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C.The Whitecaps have not won in their last two games and have not earned three points in three straight home contests. Things are no better for Salt Lake, which is coming off back-to-back home draws and is winless in its last three games overall.Odds are favorable for Real to be the one who breaks their winless streak on Wednesday. Salt Lake (8-5-5) faces a Whitecaps team that has struggled all season with a porous defense. Vancouver has allowed 33 goals through 19 games -- the highest number among Western Conference teams.The Whitecaps (7-8-4) made an effort to address their defensive shortcomings by signing a pair of defenders, David Edgar and Marcel de Jong, this week. Whoeveer gets the call in the defensive backfield will have the difficult task of slowing down Salt Lakes trio of potent strikers.dddddddddddd Juan Manuel Martinez, Yura Movsisyan and Joao Plata have combined for 19 goals and nine assists in 18 MLS matches so far this season.Vancouver presents quite a bit of danger on the offensive side of things as well. Pedro Morales has tallied six goals and five assists in 14 appearances for the Whitecaps. Morales could find a way to take advantage of Kyle Beckermans absence in the Salt Lake midfield. Beckerman will sit out Wednesdays match because of yellow-card accumulation.The Whitecaps have won three straight home matches over Salt Lake, but Salt Lake has the only road win for either team in the series -- a 1-0 result in 2013. ' ' '