The Ligue 1 season kicked off for Paris Saint-Germain on August 12, as the reigning league champions welcomed FC Lorient to the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique revealed his inaugural starting lineup for the season, introducing a blend of fresh faces such as Kang-In Lee, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Lucas Hernández, and Gonçalo Ramos. As with any line-up, there’s an element of risk involved, akin to the allure of casinos. For those intrigued by casinos and keen to start gambling even with €3 you can find invaluable insights about the finest minimum deposit casinos on Slotsjudge. Notably, it’s worth highlighting that Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. were notably absent from the roster, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to the team composition. Is this omission amplifying the element of chance?
Without those two world-class attacking players, PSG struggled to create scoring opportunities. In total, PSG only managed four shots on goal while maintaining 78% possession and had to settle for the 0-0 draw.
Despite the lack of scoring, there were several highlights supporters could take away from the match. Hernández, who joined PSG this summer from FC Bayern Munich, proved to be an excellent crosser of the ball and showed no signs of slowing down after his knee injury last year in the FIFA World Cup.
Kang-In Lee is another player who had an excellent performance. The former RCD Mallorca man joined PSG this summer and is very active on the ball. He was able to beat his defender and get forward with ease. If Neymar does leave PSG, the South Korea international could be an ideal replacement as a creative midfielder.
Lastly, Manuel Ugarte made many supporters forget all about Marco Verratti, who was also left out of the squad by Enrique. Ugarte arrived from Sporting CP this summer for €60 million, and his ability to intercept passes was incredible. He possesses a relentless work rate, and you could see him get under the skin of opposing attackers due to the physical nature of his game.
Unfortunately, there were some concerning aspects to PSG’s game against Lorient. Hakimi is coming off a disappointing season, and he didn’t get off to a great start. He missed crosses into the box, gave the ball away, and was caught out of position. With Nordi Mukiele coming back from injury, the Frenchman may end up starting over Hakimi if he doesn’t improve in the coming weeks.
Ramos was brought in to hopefully bolster PSG’s attack with the loss of Lionel Messi, but the former Benfica striker proved that he is only as good as the service that is provided to him. He wasn’t able to create his own shots and was mostly forgettable against Lorient.
Up next, PSG faces Toulouse FC on the road before returning to the Parc to face RC Lens.
