PSG-Real Sociedad: Mbappé always higher, the Ultras have the wrong target... Favorites and scratches

FAVORITES

Who else ? After a face-to-face encounter that he probably should have negotiated better at the start of the match, Kylian Mbappé was messy in the first period on Wednesday against Real Sociedad (2-0). But it was he who put his team on the path to success by scoring this goal in the 58th minute. Corner from Ousmane Dembélé, deflection from Marquinhos and “KM” who was hanging around at the far post. However, it is not the specialty of the person concerned to score from a corner… On the other hand, he is used to important goals, particularly in C1. Since the final in Lisbon in 2020, PSG have scored 13 goals in the final phase, starting in the 8th, including nine from Mbappé. In total, the captain of the Blues has 44 goals in 68 Champions League matches, as many as Mo Salah and Didier Droga, one more than Neymar. And to think he’s only 25! “We scored at important moments, moments that hurt. On the return, they will attack a little more, which means that we will have spaces,” he predicts, with a view to the return match. We still need to put more “quality in (the) ball releases”. Easier said than done ? Response March 5.

“Ousmane Dembélé is vital,” said Luis Enrique after Lille (3-1) last Saturday. He was not questioned about the case of the French international on Wednesday, but he would undoubtedly have made the same speech. No goal, no assist to credit “Dembouz” on Wednesday evening. Without him, however, there would have been no victory. He takes the corner which brings the first Parisian goal and is in the construction of the action of the second. Beyond that, he focused on making differences and adding a welcome technical touch. 11 duels won out of 13 for the former Barcelona player, who has gained in consistency and regularity throughout the season. ESSENTIAL !

We could talk about Bradley Barcola's first C1 goal or the great availability of Vitinha, repositioned as sentry after the break, but we chose to highlight Marquinhos' performance. Seeing him limp on his first shoulder to shoulder, from the first action of the match, we could harbor the greatest fears. It must be said that the Brazilian has a certain history since the crash in Madrid, in 2022, against Real… It was nothing of the sort. Marquinhos perfectly led a defense which did not concede a single shot on target. Six duels won out of eight for the Parisian captain on Wednesday, solid and valuable on the restart. In “Champions” it’s not that often in recent years. Strong. “The clean sheet is important. We were looking for this kind of performance defensively in the Champions League. We did it. Certainly, against a team which did not score in the last matches either, but it has to be done, the Champions League is a different competition,” Kylian Mbappé rightly says.

CLAW STRIKES

We can find a certain number of tactical or technical reasons to explain the sad first period of Paris Saint-Germain, the player profiles also with the lack of a midfielder like Rodri at City or Declan Rice at Arsenal. However, it seems that the main explanation is mental. Still and always. Luis Enrique has however tried to reduce the pressure around the C1 in recent days. Certainly, his adjustments during the break had a definite effect. But it was above all Mbappé's goal which changed the situation and which "filled the hearts of the Parisians with energy and confidence", says "Lucho", after a first period in the form of a "nightmare". “In the first half, we had difficulty getting out of the pressure, we could have put a little more personality because we had a numerical superiority in our camp, eight against six. We could have done a little better. Afterwards, it’s part of this team’s learning, but we didn’t pay dearly for it,” analyzes Mbappé. A learning process that will quickly have to be accelerated: facing a team of a better level, it could be expensive...

As against Lille a few days earlier, the Ultras Paris Collective had some kind words for Anne Hidalgo, confirming their position in favor of PSG in the conflict between it and Paris City Hall. Remember that the club wants to buy the Parc des Princes, which is not to the taste of the city. Except that insulting Anne Hidalgo and/or asking for her departure will change absolutely nothing in the matter. Not having all the elements of a complicated and nebulous file, perhaps they should be content to assert loudly their desire to stay at the Parc des Princes without taking sides.

Also read: Parc des Princes: behind the battle between Anne Hidalgo and PSG

Clearly, Luis Enrique will always surprise us… We expected an 11 without surprise, with just one question for the third midfielder, with Vitinha and “WZE”. Fabian Ruiz hit the jackpot. Behind, however, no one was waiting for Lucas Beraldo on the left. “There was no physical problem” for Lucas Hernandez, said the Spanish coach. He added: “I chose the 11 players who I thought were the best to start with. And if I had to choose again, I would take the same 11 players.” Poor Beraldo, however, suffered against the agility of Takefusa Kubo. And his recovery quality is not that superior to that of the Frenchman. We also had difficulty deciphering his changes in the second half, with the exits of Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Danilo Pereira. To all credit, his half-time chat and bringing Vitinha back in place of Fabian Ruiz for the second half paid off. But against another team, it might have been too late...