Six days after their clash against Nantes, PSG again let slip points in the championship. The Ile-de-France team was unable to beat Auxerre at home. The match ended in a goalless draw (0-0). The fault mainly lies with the Icaunais goalkeeper, Donovan Leon.
PSG fell into the trap
Accustomed to blurring the lines in his choice of compositions, Luis Enrique necessarily had the trip to Salzburg in the back of his mind when challenging theAJ Auxerre at Abbé-Deschamps, this Friday evening. Because Paris Saint-Germain, undefeated leader in Ligue 1, is leading the championship. And above all because its situation is much more problematic on the European scene.
It is therefore with a still well-remodeled eleven that PSG made this short trip to Yonne. But the reigning champion should not underestimate him. Because the promoted Auxerre has had an astonishing record in his lair since the start of the season, having notably tamed teams like Nice, Brest, Reims and Rennes. In short, Parisians were warned.
The configuration of this balance of power was quite clear on a tactical level: once again, Luis Enrique’s team took the game into its own hands by holding the ball in overwhelming proportions. But they were up against a compact and united team, with the desire to close the spaces as much as possible to show themselves on the counter after recovering the ball. The Ajaists’ plan worked wonderfully.
A hero named Leon
Although they didn’t just defend, the home team spent most of the time in their box. But, at the height of the storm, she was able to count on her Guyanese guardian. The latter pushed everything back on his line. Demblélé, Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-In, to name just a few, all tried to surprise him but without result. He didn’t let anything slip and held on until the end. If AJA draws a draw against the French champion it is largely thanks to him.
For Paris, it is a third match in a row without victories, in all competitions. The capital team came up against a goalkeeper in a state of grace. However, this snag cannot be explained only by the barake opposite. The problems of the Parisians at the forefront are becoming chronic, with this multitude of opportunities created but not converted. It’s becoming worrying. There was clearly a better way to prepare for the crucial C1 match against Salzburg.
