Paris Saint-Germain defeated Dijon FCO 1-3 at the Stade Gaston Gérard on Saturday thanks to goals from Lucas Moura, Thiago Silva, and Edinson Cavani. The win, combined with OGC Nice’s loss at AS Monaco earlier in the day, means Les Parisiens move into second place (on goal differential) but remain three points behind Monaco.
The title race is much tighter than it was last year, which is great for the French league but it means Paris need to be nearly perfect for the rest of the season if they hope to retain the title for the fifth consecutive year. Against Dijon, Unai Emery’s men looked like they would drop points and waste a prime opportunity to advance in the table. PSG looked flat and the attack was stalled by a resilient Dijon defense that had the match level at 1-1 in the 79th minute. Thankfully, captain Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani came to the rescue and scored back-to-back goals in the 81st and 84th minute to ensure the reigning French champions took home the three points. Here is my “Good & Bad” from Dijon vs. PSG.
The Good
Thiago Silva
The captain led his side’s defensive line by example and was composed throughout the 90 minutes. Whoscored.com rated O’Monstro an 8.2 and named him man of the match. The Brazil international had some impressive stats after the match as well, holding a whopping 10 percent of the team’s possession and recording the most touches on the pitch with 115. To put that number into perspecitve, Thiago Motta, PSG’s midfield maestro, only had 98. To boost his performance even further, Silva had 97 percent pass accuracy, won two tackles, and two aerials duels throughout the contest, making him by far the best player on the pitch.
Lucas Moura
Paris Saint-Germain’s second highest goal scorer continued his breakout season against Dijon. Not only was he able to put his name on the score sheet with a fine finish, but he was also able to craft three shots and one dribble throughout the match according to Whoscored.com. He also added to his performance with some good defensive efforts, tackling opponents three times and recovering possession in all three of them. Between Julian Draxler, Angel Di Maria, and Lucas, Emery has a plethora of options to choose from on the wings. If Lucas continues to perform well, he shouldn’t have to worry about being dropped.
The Bad
Adrien Rabiot
The young Frenchman had been having a marvelous season this year until a bad injury forced him out to the sidelines for a lengthy stay. Since his recovery, Rabiot has seemed off his pace and lacking match fitness. His Whoscored.com rating was only 6.5, the second lowest on the team. He was dispossessed three times in the contest and one of his errors resulted in Dijon’s only goal. “Lacking fitness” can be an excuse for only so long. If he wishes to be called upon when PSG face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League (February 14), he must get rid of his antics and take his game to the next level. If not, the Spanish champions will not be as kind as the Burgundy outfit.
Subscribe to the PSG Talking podcast (iTunes) (Google Play) and follow us on Twitter @PSGTalk.
