Paris Saint-Germain picked up a much-needed win in its UEFA Champions League group stage contest against Istanbul Basaksehir. It was not easy for PSG, as the club failed to orchestrate a multitude of clear-cut goal-scoring chances against the Turkish side. But in the end, a double from Moise Kean was all that PSG needed to secure the win.
Christophe Jallet watched his former club’s performance and was not relatively impressed with how the team approached the fixture. PSG has had its fair share of promising and disappointing performances this season, and for Jallet, he thinks that there is still much that the club must work on for it to reach its full potential.
“I found PSG a bit sluggish,” Jallet said. “In particular, I was expecting another first period, with more control and a lively reaction after last week’s loss to Manchester. I thought it took a long time to take shape. It took a set-piece for Paris to be a little quieter, although I felt that the Turks could be dangerous with each of their offensive.
“The second period was more interesting because the Parisians put more commitment, there was a tactical reorganization and we saw goals. I do not know if it is mental or physical, but it is not the PSG that we know, which controls its matches from start to finish. Paris was still scared.”
Jallet also took some time to laud Kean and Kylian Mbappe for their potent performances in the match. However, the former PSG defender was not much pleased with Marquinhos’ showing in the midfield.
“In the middle, I did not find Marquinhos in the form of his life,” Jallet said. “There is something wrong with his attitude. He does not return 200% to defensive retreats, he loses balls that he is not used to losing. He is at the heart of the game and necessarily, the team is in his image, sometimes wait-and-see. Fatigue and the absent surely play a role.”
PSG has a league fixture upcoming against Nantes. Considering that the club will return to Champions League action next week against RB Leipzig, this fixture against Nantes may be an opportunity for manager Thomas Tuchel to rest several key players in order to keep them fully fit and fresh for European action.
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