A disappointing 2-2 draw against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad condemned Paris Saint-Germain to a second place finish in their UEFA Champions League group despite dominating for long stretches and recording 25 total shots.
It’s hard to name many positives from the debacle Tuesday night as the majority of the players underperformed and lacked concentration in key areas. Edinson Cavani, who has been red hot of late, had a relatively quiet game due to the poor service he received from the PSG midfield. Cavani’s off-the-ball movement and intelligent link-up play wasn’t rewarded enough and most of that can be blamed on the absence of Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti. The Uruguayan did eventually get his name on the scoresheet after a brilliant overhead kick from short range with tied the score at 1-1.
Unai Emery appears to be torn between using a 4-3-3 system or his tried-and-trusted 4-2-3-1, which worked well against Olympique Lyonnais and Angers SCO recently. Last night, the latter was used and didn’t work as well as the Spaniard would have hoped. To be aggressive offensively, the No. 10 role is crucial and Hatem Ben Arfa filled this role. He completed more successful dribbles than any other player in the Champions League this season and nearly got his name on the scoresheet but was denied by an excellent block. However, to be a great player at this level, it’s all about consistency and with more game time, you have to think the Frenchman will see more playing time in Emery’s preferred system.
The draw revealed many negatives about this current PSG squad. The defending for both Ludogorets goals was shocking to watch and must be a concern for Emery and his coaching staff. Both goals for the Bulgarian club came after a comedy of errors from the back line and they routinely found themselves in acres of space. Other than maybe Leicester City FC, there isn’t a club remaining in the Champions League that won’t punish PSG if they continue defending like this. If Les Parisiens hope to get past the quarterfinals, the defense—Marquinhos in particular—must clean up their mistakes.
Another area of concern for the reigning French champions is the lack of big-game players in the team. With Angel Di Maria, Lucas Moura, and Blaise Matuidi all starting last night, none of these key players took the game to Ludogorets to showcase their skills and willingness to do whatever it takes to win the match. Di Maria, in particular, looked lost for most of the game and didn’t make an impact other than a stoppage time goal that was a little too late to make a difference.
Lucas didn’t have the best night either and could have easily done well against a shaky Cicinho for Ludogorets but it wasn’t to be and his predictability became obvious and towards the end of the game, was substituted.
In the end, it was an awful display from Paris Saint-Germain. The main objective was to qualify from the group, which they have done, but it was important to finish first—not only to build confidence but to avoid playing a team like Barcelona in the Round of 16. The draw to see who PSG play takes place this Monday but Emery and his squad can’t look ahead quite yet. They welcome league leaders OGC Nice to the Parc des Princes and will want three points to stay within striking distance.
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Lead photograph by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images
As far as effort was concerned I’d say of the three, Matuidi was the only player that showed he wanted to win. I’ll also put T. Silva and Cavani in that number. Lucas should be benched for Jesé and Di Maria shouldn’t see the pitch again, period, until he shows he’s willing to put his all out there for the shirt. Trapp needs a run-out as Areola is stinking the place up, and one has to wonder if Marquinos is having problems in his personal life that are contributing to these awful performances.
Anyway, it’s hard out there for a PSG supporter atm.
Can’t agree with Jones more
Considering Pastore’s return from injury, we could play him at CAM and Ben Arfa at RW, while giving Lucas and Di Maria a rest. Di Maria should be sold to a team (potentially Inter Milan) in the next window.
Jese should really get a start and I think that he will perform if you play him.
I think that it is time for Trapp to start in between the sticks because Areola has been terrible.
Plus, I think that Marquinhos should be benched, because he’s playing horribly. I rather start Kimpembe alongside Silva until Marquinhos is ready to return to the Starting XI
We really need to be performing as we have a must-win game against Nice and Champions League football at February. I think that Krychowiak shouldn’t really be considered a flop, as he would be important against a team like Barca/Bayern, when the opposition probably gets more possession.