Following their triumph over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League last Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain looked to climb the Ligue 1 ladder as a very poor Olympique de Marseille side paid a visit to the French capital.
On this episode of PSG Talking, I’m joined by Ethan of PSG Fan Club Boise to discuss PSG’s 4-0 win over Marseille. We break down Luis Enrique’s starting lineup, breakout performances, Kylian Mbappé’s injury, and look ahead to the next couple of matches on the fixture list.
Up first, it’s all about Le Classique. Luis Enrique went with an unconventional starting lineup, with three defenders and newcomer Bradley Barcola playing on the left flank behind Mbappé. We discuss the manager’s flexibility, Barcola’s performance, and how PSG’s rebuilt defense is still learning to play together.
PSG scored early and often against Marseille, with Achraf Hakimi kicking this off in the eighth minute with a brilliant free kick. We discuss his complete turnaround in recent weeks and how Manuel Ugarte’s defensive prowess allows Hakimi to get forward and join the PSG attack.
Mbappé won the free kick that led to Hakimi’s goal, and while the Frenchman tried to continue, he eventually left the match in the first half with an ankle injury. We discuss the impact of the injury and whether Mbappé should feature against Clermont Foot before PSG travels to Newcastle United on October 4, for a big Champions League match.
Finally, we discuss PSG’s other two goalscorers, Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos. Both newcomers were on the verge of being classified as 007 (zero goals, zero assists in first seven matches), but Kolo Muani scored an opportunistic goal before halftime, and Ramos scored a difficult header in the second half and capped off an incredible counter move to wrap things up. We share our expectations for both attackers as the season progresses, and look ahead quickly to PSG’s upcoming match against Newcastle.
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