In the world of modern day media, every game is analysed and over-analysed. It is easier to predict what is going to happen before a game, and then distance yourself when it doesn’t work out.
When it comes to post-match analysis, hindsight is a wonderful thing and can help shape what and how you write.
On Wednesday night, Paris Saint-Germain pulled off one of the greatest results in their history. Knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League is no mean feat and should be celebrated; however, did PSG win because of Blanc, or in spite of him?
Last season, when PSG went out on away goals to Chelsea, all the praise was heaped on Jose Mourinho and Blanc was slated in the French press. His move to bring Marquinhos off the bench to shore up the defence helped Chelsea push further forward.
Going into the game, PSG’s 3-1 lead was a precarious place for Blanc to be, unsure whether to stick or twist and how best to set his team up for the second leg. However, Mourinho did what any coach would do when their opponent is sitting back and you need a goal: throwing on a couple of strikers is not tactical genius and Blanc didn’t get a huge amount wrong that night. We’ve all watched games where teams drop deeper and deeper and then can’t get back on the front foot when they go behind.
From years of watching football, that was hardly something new; nor was it tactical naivety from PSG’s coach.
By the same token, Wednesday night’s victory wasn’t a tactical masterstroke from Blanc. It is very easy to look back after the result and say what he did well. But perspective is needed. The former France coach did not become a tactical genius overnight, just like with every successful team in the Champions League, there is always an element of luck involved.
My @ESPNFC piece on PSG’s wonderful night at Stamford Bridge. http://t.co/TBiAPjrwql #psg #chelsea
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) March 12, 2015
After going a goal down through Gary Cahill, PSG were nine minutes away from being eliminated. They still had to score, that was paramount from the start of the game, but now it would only send the game into extra-time.
With 20 minutes to go, it was clear that Chelsea were not quite up for the fight. Salvatore Sirigu hadn’t made a meaningful save and Edinson Cavani had gone close after he rounded Thibault Courtois before hitting the inside of the post.
PSG had done so well to recover from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s red card. Blanc’s midfield trio were playing out of their skin. Blanc may not deserve all the praise, but his players certainly do. Matuidi’s constant running helped cover their being a man down, but Chelsea weren’t exactly busting a gut to spread the play and try to expose PSG’s weaknesses.
Perhaps it is gung-ho or a little blasé, but is it not better to go out knowing you’ve tried your best, rather than limp out of the competition wondering what could have been? Despite all their best efforts with 15 minutes to go, PSG were limping courageously and bravely out of the Champions League.
Similarly to when France lost 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup, it wasn’t a bad performance or a bad result – look what happened to Brazil – but to go out without a fight is just as bad as going out without making a noise.
PSG played superbly for the 40 minutes they were down to 10 men, showing once again that they are far from a one-man team. There was no Ibra-dependency. When this team wants to fight, it can; when it wants to raise the bar, it can.
Despite advancing, PSG could just as easily be out of the competition. Every news outlet and post-match article will tell you just how bad Chelsea were, and they were awful, but they still scored twice and only went out on away goals.
Chelsea, although they are a man up and in a winning position, look a little shaky. Should be controlling this game — FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) March 11, 2015
If you are Blanc now. Take a risk. Lose 1-0 with glory, then draw 0-0 with a whimper. Absolutely nothing to lose.
— FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) March 11, 2015
Blanc had the opportunity to react to the situation in front of him and put Chelsea under more pressure. Taking off one of the midfielders for either Ezequiel Lavezzi or Jean-Christophe Bahebeck would have made perfect sense with 20 minutes to go.
So many PSG players have stood up to be counted so far in this second half, but Blanc surely has to sacrifice one to stand a chance. — Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) March 11, 2015
PSG were getting joy down the flanks; introducing more pace could have caused even more problems as they looked to find a winner. Blanc had Lavezzi and Rabiot warming up when Chelsea’s opener went in, but he still hadn’t pushed the button. Once again Blanc waited for something to happen before he reacted. It seems foolish to criticise the man after his greatest result, but it could have back-fired.
I mean, Blanc kinda shot himself in the foot taking Verratti off, #PSG not able to control the play as well in extra time as they had done.
— PSG Tourist (@PSGTourist) March 11, 2015
Throughout the game, PSG’s delivery from set-pieces had been poor. Nothing Blanc can do about that. But out of nowhere they found three great deliveries and even more importantly, they found Chelsea wanting. David Luiz and Thiago Silva scored the goals, Courtois saving the other great delivery, but without Chelsea’s shambolic defending, would PSG be in the next round?
Blanc now has a great chance to build something with this team, this season. Maybe his position in the French capital is still under threat, but he has staved off the vultures for now. However, if he wants to find success in this competition he needs to learn when the opportunity is there to strike and not wait for a situation to dramatically change before taking action.
Blanc didn’t deserve the criticism when PSG were knocked out last year; let’s not get carried away with praise for his team going through this season. Chelsea deserves to be castigated for their part in barely showing up for 210 minutes in both legs, and the PSG players deserve all the credit in the world for not giving up and playing till the end.
To make out that Blanc is now the mastermind that guided this team to the quarter-finals is exaggerated at best. The Champions League is a very long road, with great rewards at the end, but Blanc has a long way to go before he deserves praise for what PSG accomplished on Wednesday night.
Article is very accurate. Congratulations to PSG but sometimes you need luck (as Chelsea did when they won in 2012). Verratti reminds me of Paul Scholes, brilliant midfielder but cannot tackle to save his life.
Should never have been on the pitch for the 2nd leg committing two jump tackles in the first leg. He was allowed to foul with impunity over both matches. I actually think losing Ibrahimovic affected Chelsea more than PSG. They seemed to stop playing, in periods of the match they just seem to be wandering around aimlessly and allow a 10 man team to ‘have’ the ball. Had they kept the ball and used the extra man they could have worn down PSG and moved them all over the pitch.
But credit PSG, personally whichever side went through I don’t think would win the Champions league. But it should be seen as progress.
After watching football for years, I can assure you that just getting the job done is one of the most overlooked aspects in this sport. (You can ask post-Inter Mourinho if you don’t believe me!) Now, Blanc was not a “mastermind”. Nor was he “lucky”. You went about the topic in extremes.
PSG’s had various ups and downs this season. It took a while, but Blanc found a very balanced midfield in Verratti-Motta-Matuidi (and Pastore when he drops down to pick up the slack). You say “out of nowhere” regarding the three corner deliveries in the game, but two of those came from Lavezzi, a player subbed in by Blanc. You also note that Chelsea “weren’t exactly busting a gut to spread the play”. Fair. But this happens a ton of times in a round-of-16 matchup. If a coach comes up against a team playing poor on that specific day, what’s there to do? This happens every year in the Champions League. You face who you’re matched up against, it’s like that sometimes. Using poor play from the opposition to deviate from a win is about as redundant as the rest/rust and “if they played a fully healthy squad, they would have lost” arguments. Mind you, PSG were playing proactive football in the first leg and even before Zlatan was sent off.
Blanc had ample of opportunities in the first 80 minutes to push PSG to a goal but you have to consider the fact that making an attacking substitution is different when you’re already down to 10 men. Sub off a midfielder, might lose control. Sub off a defender, might concede (and lose aerial threats). An attacker for an attacker seems a bit off given that your only attacker is Cavani. It’s not like there was “nothing to lose”, because his job was potentially on the line! Conceding when you’re already chasing is a blow and when they did concede, Blanc went all in. “But it could have backfired” is so much easier to say in a post match review.
At the end, Blanc checked off a lot of boxes. While he doesn’t deserve some over-the-top glamor regarding the win, he does deserve the acknowledgement (and praise) of getting the job done in the away leg regardless of what happens in the future.