Five matches, two wins, one draw and two defeats. So much for the purely accounting balance sheet of the pre-season of Paris Saint-Germain, the first carried out under the orders of Luis Enrique. He also had a chance that some predecessors did not have: to have a squad with the internationals, since no competition was planned for this summer, and the first recruits available (Ugarte, L. Hernandez, Asensio , Skriniar, Ndour, Lee Kang-In). But a major disadvantage: the absence of Kylian Mbappé, sidelined by the Parisian management.
What have we learned from Luis Enrique’s style during the five preparation meetings? It is made of possession of the ball, with the will of an immediate pressing in the loss. Nothing revolutionary, but rather well applied by the players. The problem came mainly from the lack of explosiveness in the offensive sector, which at the same time made the phases of possession quite soporific. Without Mbappé to blast the defenses, without Neymar to find the best passing angles, PSG will have lacked a creative element during the first 4 matches, until the return of the Brazilian for the final trial run.
An almost immutable 4-3-3
For the tactical scheme, the 4-3-3 was favored, with a few pranks on a three-man defense used during the match. We felt the desire of the midfielders to swap a lot, the low point of the triangle being able to be embodied by several different players. Offensively, the lack of a real number 9 may have influenced the role of the central striker, who has taken down a lot, whether it was Asensio or Ekitike, the two men who shared this task. We will also have noticed that the return of Neymar in the last match made the Parisian game much more central, even though he had to occupy the left flank.
At the level of the players, Luis Enrique carried out a broad review of the workforce. No typical team really emerged, the playing times were well distributed. It is therefore difficult to know, for example, which hinge will be used for the reception of Lorient on Saturday August 12. Marquinhos, Danilo, Skriniar, Lucas Hernandez and even Kurzawa filled one of two vacancies. Luis Enrique used the versatility of Marquinhos, who helped out at the right-back position, and Lucas Hernandez, sometimes installed on the left. Skriniar still seems on track to start as a starter.
Good surprises in the middle
In the absence of Nuno Mendes, Lucas Hernandez could be aligned on the left, unless the Spanish coach was seduced by Kurzawa, strangely more often aligned than Juan Bernat during the pre-season. Hakimi does not suffer from any challenge on the right side. In midfield, after a difficult start, especially on the technical level, rookie Manuel Ugarte has gained momentum, and his tenacity in recovery could be invaluable. Marco Verratti has been little used and his uncertain future may close the doors to a tenure for the time being.
Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha scored points as torchbearers. The good surprise is called Cher Ndour. The 19-year-old Italian midfielder, stolen from Benfica Lisbon, showed good things. His impressive physique does not prevent him from being very mobile. His vision of the game was noticed on some interesting sequences. Warren Zaire-Emery has confirmed his rise to power, and he seems to be appreciated by his new coach, after being inducted into the first team by Christophe Galtier last season.
It’s the desert on the attack
Offensively, not much to remember, since the sector was ravaged by absences, injuries and the torments of the transfer window. Luis Enrique was therefore forced to line up astonishing attacking trios, with players often not in their position. We think of Carlos Soler, still carried around on the wings, or Asensio in number 9. Lee Kang-In had been interesting during the first meeting against Le Havre, but had left injured, before reappearing for a few minutes during the last match against Jeonbuk Motors. Ekitike scored, and was rather interesting, but his playing time less than Asensio suggests that he will not necessarily have a chance as a starter.
The lack of solutions on the wings has at least made it possible to see some young Parisians at work. And if Gharbi was generally disappointing, with a lack of personal initiatives, Noha Lemina scored points during the sad 0-0 against Al Nassr, with a remarkable overflow capacity. Serif Nhaga was able to show up as a left-back, unlike Ilyes Housni, who was used very little. What will Luis Enrique’s first eleven look like against Lorient? The transfer window and recent advances (Ousmane Dembélé, Gonçalo Ramos) could change the situation, as could the evolution of the Kylian Mbappé file.
