After a string of poor results and league leaders OGC Nice visiting the Parc des Princes on Sunday, one would think Paris Saint-Germain had all the motivation they needed to get their season back on track. You would be wrong.
It took an Edinson Cavani brace to rescue a 2-2 draw against Nice but it was yet another disappointing start for the reigning French champions. Wylan Cyprien’s free kick in the 32nd minute was a thing of beauty and Alphonse Areola, who has had his troubles of late, was powerless trying to save it. It was a nightmare start for Unai Emery’s men and it only got worse.
In stoppage time of the first half, Alassane Plea added to Nice’s lead with a calm finish after terrible defending from Thiago Silva and Marquinhos. To PSG’s credit though, they played well in attack and probably should have scored at least one if not two goals themselves. They had most of the possession and recorded 11 total shots. Unfortunately for Les Parisiens, Nice took advantage of their 32 percent possession and three total shots on goal and they did not. It should also be noted that Nice sprinted out to their comfortable lead with Mario Balotelli on the bench.
In the second half, PSG showed “some heart,” as Emery described it, and battled back to secure the point. Cavani’s goal in the 46th minute came off a Serge Aurier cross and as usual, the Uruguayan was perfectly placed to tap it into the back of the net.
Cavani’s second goal came down to a bit of luck but it was a goal nonetheless and an all-important one. A loss would have put PSG seven points behind Nice and there’s no telling whether Emery would keep his job through the holidays or not.
After the final whistle there was plenty to analyze. The midfield hasn’t been the same since Adrien Rabiot went down with an injury, Cavani continues to be the only player capable of scoring with any regularity, Angel Di Maria continues to disappoint, Marquinhos is in the worst form of his career, and why the hell is Areola still starting? The only solution to these problems that I can think of come down to the manager.
Emery must find another player capable of scoring in the January transfer window to give Cavani some help. He also needs to solidify the center of the park and bring in a defensive midfielder that can shield the defense so they’re not scrambling when teams launch a counterattack. Lastly, his loyalty to Di Maria and Areola has to change. Neither have earned their place in the starting lineup and it’s time for Emery to replace them with hungrier players.
What’s most alarming is this match against Nice was billed as the biggest league game for PSG in a number of years and they went down 0-2 in the first half. After losing out on finishing first in their UEFA Champions League group prior, I expected them to come out flying and to make up for that shocker against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad. There’s something wrong at PSG and with the transfer window approaching, Qatar Sports Investments need to decide if the problem is the players or the man managing them.
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Photograph by FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images