PSG: how to compensate for the absence of Warren Zaire-Emery

Revelation at the start of the season in the Paris Saint-Germain jersey, Warren Zaire-Emery was finally rewarded by Didier Deschamps. At only 17 years old, the native of Montreuil had his first selection with the France team on Saturday evening. Decisive after a quarter of an hour of play, the Ile-de-France midfielder took part in the historic festival of the Blues against Gibraltar (14-0). A short-lived joy for the Parisian Titi, injured on his goal and finally replaced by Youssouf Fofana in the 20th minute. And the recent news is not good…

Luis Enrique between 4-2-4 and 4-3-3

According to the latest information from The Team, Warren Zaire-Emery, who will leave the Blues gathering and return to Paris to take additional exams, suffers from a major sprain after a strong tackle from a Gibraltar player. If the latter therefore avoids the fracture, which could have left him on the sidelines for very long months, the capital club will still have to do without his services, at least, until the end of 2023 A big blow for Luis Enrique, especially considering the upcoming schedule of the reigning French champions. An essential link in the Parisian collective, the one who sees his contract run until June 2025 will, in fact, miss several very precious meetings for the rest of the Parisian season.

Already forfeited for the Blues’ trip to Greece next Tuesday, WZE will also be forfeited for the clash against AS Monaco on Friday evening as part of the 13th day of Ligue 1. Even more detrimental, the number 33 of the Rouge et Bleu will not be delivered in time for the two big shocks that await PSG on the European scene. Second in Group F with six units, the Parisian club no longer has any room for error before hosting Newcastle on November 28 and traveling to Dortmund on December 13. Note, moreover, that the participation of the young Parisian nugget in the Champions Trophy on January 3 against Toulouse is also very uncertain. While waiting for the return of his favorite, Luis Enrique will have to adjust.

A card to play for the usual substitutes and the young people…

With this in mind, two tactical solutions seem, today, to hold the rope to “forget” and manage this big disappointment as best as possible. Often used to fielding a hybrid 4-2-4 in this 2023-2024 exercise, the former coach of La Roja could logically renew this system in the weeks to come. From then on, Manuel Ugarte and Fabian Ruiz appear as the two main favorites to form this double pivot (Danilo Pereira could also have his card to play). In this configuration, Vitinha and Kang-In Lee would then compete for the left wing. An organization which could in particular be favored for the trip to Le Havre (December 3) or the receptions in Nantes and Metz (December 9 and 20). Another possibility exists despite everything, particularly at a time when this 4-2-4 is not yet unanimous, as evidenced by the difficulties encountered by the Parisians in Newcastle on October 4.

On the sidelines of PSG’s upcoming big meetings (Monaco, Newcastle, Dortmund, Lille), Luis Enrique could also decide to densify his midfield to keep control of events and avoid certain imbalances. A 4-3-3 formula, already tested several times since the start of the season, would then see the light of day. In this system, Manuel Ugarte, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Kang-In Lee, Carlos Soler or even Danilo Pereira would constitute all options to compose the Ile-de-France midfielder. If the last two cities leave with a long delay, the Spanish technician of PSG therefore retains numerous arguments despite the long absence to come of Warren Zaire-Emery. During this month and a half, or more, let’s finally remember that the young Cher Ndour and Ethan Mbappé could also take advantage of their teammate’s misfortunes to glean a few minutes of play. One thing is certain, PSG will now have to live without the new darling of the French football.