There are matches that tell a lot more than the score displayed at the final whistle. Facing Manchester City on Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain experienced an evening of contrasts, going from demonstration to fear in the space of 90 minutes. And in the middle of these two faces, Fabián Ruiz embodied the changes of pace of a Parisian team capable of the best as well as the most fragile. During an exceptional first period, the Spaniard, in fact, shone in the midfield, participating in the collective mastery of a PSG which seemed to have found the key to thwarting Enzo Maresca’s men. Everything then seemed to smile on the Parisians.
Ruiz, radiant then absent
The ball moved quickly, the spaces were perfectly exploited and City struggled to respond to the intensity imposed by their opponent. Ruiz, available and precise, gave him the feeling of mastering each sequence, as if Paris was always one step ahead. Result ? Two world-class collective actions concluded by Désiré Doué then Ousmane Dembélé and PSG was already safe. The evening even took on the appearance of a demonstration when Vitinha, receiving a cross from Maghnes Akliouche – deflected by Warren Zaire-Emery – shot Gianluigi Donnarumma at point blank range. It was then difficult to imagine the difficulties that awaited Luis Enrique’s players when they returned from the locker room.
Because the face of Paris has changed. Gradually, Manchester City increased the intensity in the duels, accelerated their transmissions and pushed PSG to retreat. The Parisians then lost what had been their strength until then: control of the ball, the ability to come out under pressure and this impression of always controlling events. Mancunian opportunities multiplied, putting the Parisian defense under pressure. In this second period, Paris sometimes seemed to suffer its match rather than lead it. And if the final score remained favorable to the French champions, the evening could have taken a much less happy turn with a more realistic City.
Luis Enrique is mixed
“It’s difficult to say because the match had very different moments. The first half showed what we want to do as a team. We were very superior. You think the match is won 3-0 at half-time, and we suffered in the second half. They deserved to score more goals. We could have lost in this match”recognized Luis Enrique at the microphone of Canal+. Fabián Ruiz did not escape this overthrow. Sparkling when PSG imposed its rhythm, the Spanish midfielder, ultimately credited with a 5 by our editorial staff, gradually lost its influence as the physical combat intensified. It is not a question of making him bear sole responsibility for the Parisian difficulties, but his performance tells something broader: when the collective began to retreat, the individuals who had supported it in the first period were also less visible.
PSG, current leader of the league phase, can therefore savor its success against Manchester City, but without forgetting what it came close to losing. Because if this victory confirms the potential of a team capable of competing with the greatest when it plays at its best level, it also underlines the work that remains to be accomplished to get through the weak times without losing ground. Fabian Ruiz, brilliant then less influential, will therefore have summed up this evening alone: an attractive PSG, sometimes irresistible, but still vulnerable when the opponent imposes another balance of power. Yes, the score offers a nice conclusion but not all the answers.
