“We would have liked to do something else (other than playing),” said Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc after Saturday’s win at Lorient. Despite that, he was at a loss to know what that something was. “We represent Paris, the team of the capital. We have to do what we know how to do.”
Blanc is always a forthright speaker, and the same was true again on a weekend when PSG returned to action for the first time since the terrorist atrocities in Paris eight days before. It could not have been easy. The Brittany hotel in which the squad and staff stayed in overnight was cleared of all guests outside the PSG group and made private, indicative of the reinforced security around the club. Many of his players, including skipper Thiago Silva and defender Gregory van der Wiel, shared their sense of unease with journalists after the match, but they had dug in to ensure the necessary in a tricky fixture.
The victory was PSG’s fifth in a row at Stade du Moustoir, but don’t let that fool you. They have all been narrow wins, with only one by more than a single goal, and that was a 3-1 end-of-season frolic in May 2013. Moreover, they arrived in Brittany to face a side that began play as the 3rd top scorers in the division, and with their 20-year-old centre-back Presnel Kimpembe making his first start for the club alongside Silva.
Lorient are built to attack, and always dare to do so. It was certainly the case on Saturday, as Sylvain Ripoll’s side had 13 shots to PSG’s 8, despite enjoying only 45% of the possession. With their season average being 12.1 per match, it showed a laudable commitment to remaining themselves even against the league’s runaway leaders. The habitual crispness of Lorient’s passing certainly helped too - only the big four of PSG (89.7%), Lyon (84.3%), Marseille (83.4%) and Monaco (80.6%) - plus surprise package Nice (83.6%) - land more successful passes than their 80.4%. Again, they stayed constant to their regular behaviour, completing 82% of passes on Saturday.
PSG have really grown into their reputation as Ligue 1’s ogre this season, finally setting about pulverising the weaker teams in the division. It didn't look like being that way in the early weeks of the season, when it was strictly service minimum when PSG beat promoted minnows Gazélec Ajaccio, barely breaking into a sweat to obtain a 2-0 win in the first Ligue 1 home game of the campaign, back in mid-August. Heavy wins at Monaco and Nantes - as well as the 5-0 thrashing of Toulouse before the international break - have made their full intentions clear on the way to establishing the current 13-point lead at the top.
This, though, was in its own way was more impressive than any of those results, showing PSG’s resolve in a different scenario - namely, one in which the opposition weren't scared of them, and played the game on its merits. The contrast with the run-out against Toulouse, in which Dominique Arribagé’s timid team had just 30% of the ball and failed to register a single shot on target, could not have been more stark.
That PSG were to rise to meet the examination reflects extremely well on them, especially given the changes made to the line-up. With Ángel Di María and Marco Verratti injured, Blanc still dared to rest David Luiz and Edinson Cavani, and his faith in his squad as a whole was justified. With the ever-excellent Silva (5 tackles and 3 clearances) to guide him, Kimpembe was notably composed, landing 94.6% of his passes, more than anybody else on the pitch. It was an extraordinary afternoon for Kimpembe, playing a first-team game with fellow youth product Hervin Ongenda for the first time. Ongenda also shone, netting the opener. The pair have been playing together regularly since the age of 11.
Really, it was the sterling performance of Blanc’s senior go-tos all over the pitch that gave them the platform to thrive. Star man Blaise Matuidi and Adrian Rabiot did superbly to protect the defence, and made 6 and 7 tackles, respectively. Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his renewed excellence this season, setting up Matuidi for what proved to be the winner. The mutterings that the Sweden captain could only score or assist, but not do both, can be tossed into the bin marked ‘myths’. Ibrahimovic now has 9 goals and 5 assists in 9 Ligue 1 starts.
Cavani, with 7 goals and 2 assists in 10 starts, will return at his side for Wednesday’s gala return to his hometown of Malmö, but the rest of the team could certainly do with chipping in more. Calls for Lucas Moura to be granted a starting spot reached fever pitch after his cameo against Toulouse, in which he landed a rating of 8.13 for just 27 minutes of play. In that time he scored and made 5 dribbles.
However, Saturday was not the red letter day it might have been for Lucas, who struggled to make a decisive contribution. He gave the ball away too much, finding a teammate with only 79.5% of his passes, and will be concerned about the imminent return of Javier Pastore, who has 3 assists from 6 starts in a stop-start season to date. The Argentinian was PSG’s leading assist provider last campaign, with 12.
Both will improve, which means PSG have still not yet peaked, despite going 14 matches unbeaten in what could be a historic season. Even when struggling against greater forces, this team is a bastion of strength, and, it must be said, a truly united group. They are formidable.
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