PSG-Montpellier: Parisian state of mind, Dembélé brilliant and horrifying… Favorites and scratches

FAVORITES

Exciting. If we can blame him for a certain timidity in his intentions, hence his 47/47 passing, Kang-in Lee produced a brilliant performance on Friday, against Montpellier (3-0). A defector from Mallorca in the off-season, the South Korean international made his second start in a row, between midfield and left side. It is he who opens the scoring for PSG. Beyond that, he showed himself to be valuable in the construction of the game, not hesitating to provoke (3/5 on dribbles), all without hiding in terms of effort (6 duels won out of 9, 5 balls recovered, 2 tackles). “It's magnificent, he can play everywhere, behind, in front, inside or on the side, he can work defensively or score goals. He’s a complete player,” relishes Luis Enrique, on Amazon, not seeking to take credit for his recruitment. “No, it’s Luis Campos. He's a superb recruit. We knew from the start that he was a young player, with a lot of future. He still has progress to make, but it’s working well,” he adds.

SEE ALSO - “My opinion on Ligue 1 has changed”, admits Luis Enrique, coach of Paris SG

After the match, Luis Enrique spoke of the “top level state of mind” of his team since the start of the season. He is right. And again on Friday, we saw the Parisians moving forward throughout the meeting. It was more difficult before the rest. But then it happened. “We didn't exist in the second half,” admitted Michel Der Zakarian. A few years ago, the Parisians would have managed calmly before the Champions League. There they pushed all the way. They also continued their momentum in terms of effort, defensive runs and recovery. Staying focused and diligent is in fact the best way to prepare for the next match in C1.

If we had told you that PSG would score three goals at MHSC, you would undoubtedly have bet on a goal from Kylian Mbappé. And you would have lost. The captain of the France team did not find the net on Friday. Often opposed to two, even three players on his left side, “KM” often had to move back or navigate the axis to get some air. In the end, it was a PSG that leaned to the right – all the goals came from that side – and with scorers from the middle that won. No need for a great Mbappé to shine. This is also the third time this season that the person concerned remains silent while PSG scores three or more goals in Ligue 1 (Montpellier, Rennes, OM), compared to two over the entire last season (Clermont, OM). Obviously, if Mbappé had the good idea to score his 13th goal of the season on Tuesday against AC Milan, a club of which he is a “fan”, it would not be a luxury. Note that the world champion stays on track, even when he doesn't score: when he lets Lee pass for the first goal, what a treat! A few centimeters away, he could have offered 4-0 to Gonçalo Ramos.

Ballon d’Or 2023: Kylian Mbappé, so close, so far…

CLAW STRIKES

We could tell you about his influence, his impulse, his magnificent “D pass” for Warren Zaire-Emery, a brilliant inspiration. This is all true. There are also efforts, replacement. Ousmane Dembélé had a full match. He also and above all shone with XXL waste, especially in the first period. Crosses to the third post, shots wide of the target, poor transmissions... Of his 16 dribbles, he only completed six. Out of his 21 duels, he only won 8. All with 34 lost balls, out of the 97 he touched. We are still waiting for his first goal in Paris. Obviously, he has the right side, with this decisive pass, as we said, five key passes, five shots (including 2 on target), two balls recovered. In addition, we know that we must take “Dembouz” as it is and that it will always have significant waste. But at least in the first half, it was too much. Even for a player who makes so many differences. We think back to this counter during which he goes up with Mbappé... without proposing anything, not a call. Yes, the “magical” ex-Rennais, says Luis Enrique. Horrifying too. You have to get used to it first...

No, Montpellier did not take the broth from Paris. Not over the entire meeting. The first period was also very coherent. And Teji Savanier could even have opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. Alas, it didn't last and the MHSC exploded in flight during the second act. “It’s the best team we’ve faced at the Parc des Princes since the start of the season,” says Luis Enrique. After the break, goals from Zaire-Emery and Vitinha quickly put out the light. We will have to quickly turn the page before facing OGC Nice, leader in the standings before this 11th day of the championship.

Aligned at the forefront, Randal Kolo Muani produced a gloomy copy on Friday evening. The former Nantes player fought, he performed some great actions, notably this one-two with Dembélé. However, we expect more from Kolo Muani, who did not score a point in his long-distance duel with Gonçalo Ramos, replacing at kick-off but who was also on the verge of scoring a superb goal from a brilliant delivery from Mbappé at the very end of the match. It was offside. Let's see who will be lined up on Tuesday at San Siro. This center-forward position has still not been sealed by one or other of the competitors. All this knowing that former Madrilenian Marco Asensio will quickly apply too. The absent are always wrong ? Not if those present do not take action to make those absent forget… More than ever, things are unclear at station 9.