2023-10-04 23:04:00
The game: Paris exceeded
A dream for Newcastle, a nightmare for Paris. Stifled by the Magpies’ pressing in the first period, PSG, organized in 4-2-4 and cut in two, was unable to find relays in midfield, and therefore to serve its attackers. There were too many individual errors and the Magpies were happy to punish them, putting simple but essential ingredients in the Champions League.
Even when the English pressed less, even when Paris had more time, the Ile-de-France club did not manage to find the key in the game. Lucas Hernandez’s goal barely boosted his side and the correction was transformed into a small humiliation with a final cannon shot from Fabian Schär.
The players: Ghostly attackers, the collective power of the Magpies
Overtaken behind, transparent in front, lonely in the middle. Few Parisians stood out at St James’ Park. Lucas Hernandez was the least troubled defender and stood out with his header to reduce the score. Warren-Zaire Emery gave him a helping hand and was the one who showed the most character. Ousmane Dembélé was active but messy. And Gianluigi Donnarumma made several classy saves but might do better on the third English goal.
On the Magpies side, few stood out even if Bruno Guimaraes made OL lovers nostalgic, but everyone was on level while several starters were missing. The very definition of a collective force.
Mbappé, it’s worrying
The x factor: What was VAR used for?
The Magpies’ second goal was the subject of a lengthy VAR check, and the resulting decision may have been surprising. If there was no offside, Jamaal Lascelles touched the ball with his hand in his duel with Hakimi. Offensive hands are normally penalized automatically, but this was not the case. At 1-0 at the break, the scenario might have been different.
At the state: 1
Paris, Lens, Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, Lille. No French club had lost on the first day of the three European competitions and the Sang et Or had started this second day perfectly. But it was PSG who lost first, quite clearly at that. Not really what was planned.
The statement: Luis Enrique, PSG coach (Canal+)
The system ? I thought it was the best, and I still think so
The question: But why didn’t Luis Enrique change anything?
After Marseille (4-0) and Clermont (0-0), Luis Enrique chose his very offensive 4-2-4 scheme for the third time in a row on Wednesday, the first time in the Champions League. An ambitious plan on paper. Completely failed in its application.
Combining Mbappé, Ramos, Kolo Muani and Dembélé looks great. You still have to be able to find them, which was so rare on Wednesday. When this was the case, the four attackers appeared muddled, timid and uninspired. Aligning four attackers is not automatically synonymous with attacking play and this correction is a strong confirmation: Paris only had two shots on target at St James’ Park.
In this context, it is difficult to understand the tactical immobility of Luis Enrique. There is no question here of reproaching him for his initial choice. Rather than having never reacted in the middle of a nightmare.
Were we waiting for an additional midfielder to rebalance the debates in the middle? The former Barça coach preferred to go post for post: Barcola for Kolo Muani in the 57th minute, Vitinha for Ugarte in the 64th. And surprise: nothing has changed in the content. The vast majority of Parisians were not up to par. But none of them were put in the right mood. Even if Luis Enrique does not have the same reading.
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#Lantisèche #Newcastle #PSG #failure #Luis #Enrique
