PSG-Lille: Dembélé “vital”, Hidalgo insulted… Favorites and scratches

FAVORITES

Already the best passer in Ligue 1 before the match with six offerings, Ousmane Dembélé added another to his collection on Saturday, against Lille (3-1). Above all, he still had a full match. Luis Enrique says it best: “He’s one of the most consistent, most consistent players. He is the one who has the most capacity to overwhelm, generate assists, numerical superiority, overcome opposing pressure and help us in defense. He is one of the best signings of the season and a vital player for us. But when he is not there there are other very high level players, with other characteristics. It is important to send a collective message, of team unity and that the players are able to play, to perform, whatever their position, whether they play a lot or not, like (Nordi) Mukiele, who didn't play for a long time but who was ready and was effective,” he explains. Dembélé, major asset of this PSG.

The three most expensive signings of the summer on the bench? This has been the life of Gonçalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani and Manuel Ugarte for several weeks. They took their chance on Saturday. The Portuguese had a match full of generosity in the effort, the withdrawal, the calls. With the goal of equalization at stake. The Frenchman went through the match like a ghost... as long as he played on the left, before shining and scoring in the middle. The Uruguayan, for his part, has regained his enthusiasm and his aggressiveness from the start of the season, with two thirds of duels won and eight balls scratched. They actively participated in the success of Luis Enrique's plan on Saturday. Back in the race for the starting 11?

SEE ALSO – Mbappé, Danilo, Ramos… the summary of PSG’s qualification against Brest

Apart from a few passages, notably in the second half when the two coaches played on their benches, the match was played at a brisk pace. No or little downtime, pressing at all levels and direct play. All with two teams wanting to come from behind and generally play football. A good, enjoyable Ligue 1 match.

CLAW STRIKES

Not sure that this is the right method to convince Anne Hidalgo to let go... The Parisian Ultras have obviously chosen to side with the club in the conflict between it and Paris City Hall over the Parc des Princes. In addition to a few banners, the Ultras Paris Collective saw fit to copiously insult the Mayor of Paris. Off topic.

Also read “Without PSG, the Park no longer has a prince”: Parisian Ultras attack Hidalgo and insult him

“We gave away the match with two fatal errors against PSG.” Signed Paulo Fonseca. Barely. Despite opening the score in their favor in the 6th minute, the Mastiffs were behind in the 17th minute after a loss of ball and a CSC from Alexsandro. “Paris was takeable. We know we have to make the perfect match when we come here. And we didn't do it, from the moment we made mistakes that cost us dearly. Honestly, we don't deserve more tonight, but disappointed all the same because there was a little room. (…) Alexsandro? It happens to everyone. He has been impeccable since the start of the season. We're not going to shoot anyone, we're going to shoot us, the whole group, and we're going to leave next week by hosting Le Havre,” says Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who was otherwise solid on Saturday. In defense of Lille, the Parisians are masters in the art of making the mistakes of their opponents bear fruit.

If we have seen little of Edon Zhegrova, it is partly thanks to him. When marking, Lucas Beraldo is not easy to pass. But in the left-back position, it's more random... Opponents often arrive launched. In this register, the young (20 years old) Brazilian defender is not as comfortable. It can be seen, it can be felt. He's a center back. While waiting for Nuno Mendes to return to business, Luis Enrique does not have many options on the left. On Saturday, Lucas Hernandez had to play in the center in the absence of Marquinhos, who was spared. Promising Lucas Beraldo? Yes, but not on the left.

Also read: Luis Enrique reassuring about Mbappé: “He would have played if it was a final”

In defense of the Portuguese coach, he could not anticipate such a large turnover on the Parisian side. But his choices were not crowned with success on Saturday evening, at the Parc des Princes... Tactically, he never wanted to deny his principles, which was costly against a PSG so strong in counter-pressing. As for individuals, Paulo Fonseca had undoubtedly relied on Gabriel Gudmundsson to block Achraf Hakimi. Bad luck, the Moroccan was on the bench. Beyond his goal, Yusuf Yazici also suffered from the comparison with Jonathan David, more able to press and provide depth behind the Parisian defense. Given his thunderous entry, Adam Ounas should undoubtedly also have started... And what can we say about Alexsandro, perhaps not fully operational and who is directly involved in the first two Parisian goals, a guilty loss of the ball and a goal against his side?