Despite handing Lucas Moura his first start in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain's first league game of 2013 ended in frustration at the Parc des Princes. The Brazilian's performance was the highlight of a disappointing goalless home showing from Carlo Ancelotti's men. To make matters worse, the hosts finished the match with 10 men and saw their captain, Thiago Silva, forced to leave with an injury.

- Match report: PSG 0-0 Ajaccio

Moura made his debut in place of Jeremy Menez as Ancelotti opted to reshuffle his previously effective formation of two strikers, two wide men and two central midfielders. Ezequiel Lavezzi was pushed into the role of supporting striker following his recent goal rush, with Javier Pastore on the left and Lucas on the right. Although it technically gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic plenty of freedom, it was a wasteful night in front of goal and that is something that Ancelotti should consider.

In the absence of Menez, the Brazilian looked like PSG's most direct threat and showed flashes of brilliance. Carletto exposed his desperation to win the game though, keeping the 20-year old on until he cramped up and was forced off and replaced by Kevin Gameiro. However, the match should never have been beyond the home side given the attacking talent available to the Italian.

Menez watched on from the bench but would have been better off starting given the direct threat that he offers on the pitch. While he has looked better in recent matches, given his struggles this season, Pastore impinges the team's ability to truly assert their authority over opponents, but Ibrahimovic's quiet night wasn't necessarily completely down to that though. It was as much a product of Ajaccio's five-man defensive bloc and an inspired performance from Mexican international Guillermo Ochoa. The Mexican's outrageous save on Brazilian defender Alex was particularly impressive, but Ibrahimovic's miscued first-half volley was particularly disappointing.

Thiago Motta's red card was arguably the key point of the match. Sent off for a clumsy tackle on Frederic Sammaritano, the Italian international was unlucky to see straight red for it but the impact of losing Motta should not have been a big problem against the likes of Ajaccio. It feels like, at times, PSG take their opponents too lightly. Ancelotti's side dominated possession and les Ours barely had a sniff at goal, yet the end product was consistently lacking. That is not down to a lack of firepower, but rather a lack of application.

With no disrespect to Albert Emon's side, they played admirably in his first league match in charge of the Corsicans but PSG need to be winning these home games if they want to move away from the chasing pack. That is the second time this season the capital club have been held to a 10-man goalless draw by Ligue 1's minnows. The result also means that Ancelotti's side could be two points off the pace come next weekend, a poor start to the year.

To make matters worse, captain Silva was substituted in the second half with an injury after a heavy looking fall. Currently unknown how long the Brazilian international will be out for, the dropped points could come at a greater cost if Silva is out for much longer than a few days or weeks.

A 0-0 draw at home to Ajaccio is not the end-all be-all, but it is not the sort of start to a year that you'd expect from title favourites. PSG need to be faster out of the traps and more assertive in the way they play, especially at home. Moving Pastore into the middle for a game like this enables Ancelotti to keep Menez's direct threat as part of PSG's game plan, without him they looked short of ideas.

Yes Lucas looked great, Ochoa made some good saves and Ibrahimovic had an off night. It happens. But it is not good enough, particularly when it still looks like Ancelotti is persevering with a selection that doesn't appear particularly efficient. The result won't be terminal to PSG's title chances, but the Italian must be more adventurous at home when up against sides who will inevitably come to the Parc des Princes set up to stifle their hosts. Bordeaux away next promises to be a difficult game too, a much-improved performance is needed.

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