At the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain continued their flawless performance on Friday evening against a sad team from Stade Rennais. Buoyed by a double from Bradley Barcola and a goal from Kang-In Lee, Luis Enrique’s men logically won (3-1) despite a less controlled end to the match. A fragility embodied by Lucas Beraldo (20 years old), in great pain in the left corridor. Established in the absence of Nuno Mendes, the Brazilian international (3 selections) – not selected by Dorival Júnior for the Seleçao’s next international break – has indeed returned an indigestible copy.
Guilty with one hand and at fault on the penalty offering the only goal of the evening to Rennais, the Parisian number 35 also showed his limits on the defensive level. In a left-back position – the Pacho-Marquinhos duo establishing themselves as the indisputable central hinge – Beraldo has suffered too often. Taken behind his back on numerous occasions, doubtful in his restarts and put in difficulty by the liveliness of Ludovic Blas, the former Sao Paulo player was constantly overwhelmed. Far from being reassuring for his partners and non-existent on the offensive level, the native of Piracicaba clearly did not score any points.
Lucas Beraldo disappointed again…
Credited with a 4 by the FM editorial team, the 1m82 left-hander could ultimately lose everything. Victim of the express and successful integration of Willian Pacho in the axis of the Ile-de-France defense (5 balls recovered, 2 interceptions and once again authoritarian in the duel against the Breton club), the 20-year-old Brazilian is also struggling to distinguish himself in this left-back role. Insufficient and worrying performances for the capital club, moreover in a context where Nuno Mendes, usual holder, continues to mark time on the physical level. Asked about Parisian fragility, particularly on defensive set pieces, Luis Enrique however refused to dwell on it.
“Football wasn’t fair to us tonight (Friday, editor’s note). Rennes had very, very few chances this evening. And they score from a penalty. Perfect, we are not. But negativity is usual with journalism around PSG. If you look at the stats compared to last year, everything is better. But you are asking about the last ten minutes…”railed the Spanish technician, who had recently assured that he was ready to lower his salary to avoid the press… If Lucas Beraldo therefore escapes, for the moment, the remonstrances of his coach, the level of play proposed by the young Brazilian remains , despite everything, worrying. It now remains to be seen whether the Parisian defender will have the opportunity to redeem himself next Tuesday against Arsenal, at a time when Nuno Mendes is recovering from a viral syndrome…
