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10 months ago
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Less than two weeks before the reception of Real Sociedad at the Parc des Princes, as part of the round of 16 of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain disappointed this Sunday evening against Stade Brestois, during the 19th day of Ligue 1. While the Parisians had done most of the work in the first period by leading two goals to zero at the break thanks to the achievements of Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani, Luis Enrique’s troops completely got through the second act, letting the Bretons reduce the score then equalize (2-2). A little comeback for this two-faced Paris team. In the crosshairs of this cry of alarm, the Parisian defense which was not at all reassuring throughout this game. If the offensive lines lost their splendor in the last 45 minutes of the match, the defensive hinge as well as the two full-backs were unable to exude solidity or cohesion. A loss of control which can be worrying, at a time when the winter transfer window is entering its final turn (official closure scheduled for Thursday evening).
“If I have to analyze the match, there are two completely different parts, with a first part where we had control of the defensive situations where we managed to annihilate Brest’s game, one of the most successful first periods of the season . And then, one of the worst periods. We reviewed what we experienced in Brest, except that this time, we failed to regain the advantage. We know the quality of Brest. They managed to do the same thing as at home. This second half, we lost a lot of balls, we created little. We thought we had the match in hand, that was not the case., also analyzed the Spanish coach, in a press conference after the meeting. This disappointing result at the Parc des Princes against Stade Brestois, which was nevertheless trailing two goals to zero, highlighted a certain defensive fragility and a complete lack of concentration from the Parisian rearguard. Fortunately for the Parisian management, there are four days left to refine this point…
Standby tracks, DIY by default
Against Stade Brestois, certain choices by Luis Enrique surprised more than one. The start of Lucas Beraldo, to the detriment of captain Marquinhos, was the main surprise at kick-off. And unfortunately for the winter defensive recruit, his performance will not go down in history. For the first time since his arrival in Paris, the Brazilian defender, still too soft, had difficulty showing himself to be solid. Breton offensives very often passed through its zone. Jostled in the duels, the former rock of São Paulo did not shine with the ball and thus lost a total of 14 balls. The native of Piracicaba let Mathias Pereira Lage pass too easily on the Breton equalizer. Propelled high up the defensive hierarchy with the injuries to Presnel Kimpembe and Milan Škriniar, Lucas Beraldo must quickly gain momentum. There is no doubt that the need to sign another DC this winter is more complete than ever, at a time when Paris Saint-Germain is continuing negotiations for Leny Yoro after having surveyed several central defenders including Dayot Upamecano, Diego Llorente, Maxence Lacroix, Jean-Clair Todibo, Giorgio Scalvini, Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Buongiorno: “We are 24 players, all the players are fit to play, the coach rotates a lot, it is up to us to give everything on the pitch when we are on the pitch but it is true that defensively as well as offensively in the second half. time, we have to improve. We can’t afford for PSG to have a second half like that.”confided Lucas Hernandez in the mixed zone.
Nevertheless, the eternal reshuffle carried out by Luis Enrique is starting to leave its mark. Worse still, it has a very harmful domino effect on certain players including Warren Zaire-Emery. Established as a right-back, the Parisian Titi had a hard time understanding and finding his role in this system. While he is so used to being one of the best performers with a major impact in the middle, he did not weigh at all in his team’s play against Brest, losing several duels. Worse still, Eric Roy’s players sometimes targeted him to make breakthroughs and incursions on his side. A mixed performance which rekindles the debate around the Nordi Mukiele case. If the French full-back is not expected to head to Bayern after the arrival of Sacha Boey in Bavaria, his future in Paris has not yet been confirmed. In any case, Sunday evening at the Parc des Princes, the profile of a Mukiele was clearly missing on the right lane. Whether it is him or another, there is clearly a lack of reinforcement at the full-back position, especially since Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco risks remaining for a little while longer in Ivory Coast in this very good CAN.
