Paris Saint-Germain is ten days away from being able to achieve a historic performance. One year after winning the first Champions League in its history, the capital club could retain its title. A first since 2017 and the coronation of Zidane’s Real Madrid in Cardiff (the second of three consecutive C1 won by Casa Blanca). Prematurely eliminated from the Coupe de France, Paris has time to prepare for its shock against Arsenal, freshly crowned champion of England.
Hakimi returns for the final
For the moment, the news is not too alarming. Apart from the surveillance around the case of Ousmane Dembélé, injured in a calf, The Team announced last night the return of an injured person, Achraf Hakimi. Hit in the thigh during the C1 semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, the Moroccan full-back will return to collective training this week. Excellent news for Luis Enrique who will find one of his indisputable starters. However, Luis Enrique may have to break his head.
With the return of Hakimi, it is difficult to see the Spaniard starting the Budapest final on the bench if he considers the Moroccan physically fit. However, if Hakimi is back in the starting eleven while Fabian Ruiz has found his place in midfield, Warren Zaire-Emery (20 years old) risks paying the price. Last season, the young French international played as a luxury understudy and didn’t really have the arguments to claim a starting place. This year it’s totally different.
A hell of a dilemma for Luis Enrique
WZE is quite simply the player most used by Luis Enrique and his performances are more than convincing. The midfielder has regained his percussion strength and he is shining like never before for several months and his interim position at right back has been so good that some now see him as a luxury alternative to this position for Didier Deschamps. His semi-final against Bayern Munich perfectly illustrates his versatility and his season. Impressive in the middle on the first leg with his extraordinary activity, WZE also shone on the right of the defense on the return leg, muzzling Luis Diaz.
Satisfied with his player’s performance, Luis Enrique regularly praised him throughout the season. “We have often talked about him, but he is really what a titi represents. He’s a real guy not only for what he does on the field, but also how he conducts himself off it during his life. It’s a privilege to have a player like him. He plays everywhere, he has individual, technical and physical qualities. It’s a real pleasure to train him.”declared the Spaniard last March. Sparkling for many months, will Zaire-Emery be the turkey of the farce of these combined returns of Hakimi and Ruiz? Luis Enrique has often managed to keep his replacements involved and performing well for three years, but the pill may still be difficult to swallow for WZE…
