“I expected a lower level in Ligue 1. Each time, we play against tough and strong rivals. You have to work to succeed. » At the Ligue1+ microphone this Saturday evening after his first start in the PSG jersey against Metz, Dro Fernandez analyzed his performance with the lucidity of a player much more mature than his 18 years. An observation which corresponds rather well to what he showed on the pitch at the Parc des Princes against FC Metz: a lot of talent, a few shortcomings, and therefore an awareness of the demands that await him to be able to perform over time in a very high level team. His arrival at PSG this winter had created great expectations with Hansi Flick who had very badly taken his departure from Barça believing he was losing one of the biggest talents of the Catalan club. Faced with this transfer, Barça even had to review its entire contractual policy for its young people with new clauses in the contract. But regardless of the financial aspect, everyone wanted to see what Dro Fernandez gave on the pitch.
With a Luis Enrique who did not want to ignite and manage his young player, lacking playing time, in his own way, Dro Fernandez played his very first minutes at the Park on February 8 during the Classico against OM (5-0), before continuing with 19 minutes in Rennes during the 3-1 defeat at Roazhon Park. Promising starts and which even convinced PSG to include him on the UEFA list for the Champions League and the rest of the season (in the event of qualification against Monaco). And after a few appearances, this Saturday evening, Dro Fernandez tasted his first start against Metz. With PSG having to breathe, Luis Enrique therefore relied on the young 18-year-old midfielder to be present in midfield.
An encouraging first, but still work
And the least we can say is that Dro Fernandez had quite a baptism in Ligue 1 against the bottom of the championship. In sequences, the young 18-year-old player was stunning. A vision of the game that is unusual for his age, calls in space, and very above average technique. Several times he made the difference in small spaces with an ease that immediately reminds us of where he comes from. Gonçalo Ramos, in the mixed zone, did not mince his words about it: “We could see that he is a special player, he has a lot of qualities. He integrated well into the group. He plays like he’s been there for a year even though it’s been a month. » Same story for his teammate Lucas Hernández. “He’s a young player like many in this team but he brings a lot of serenity and confidence. We welcomed him well upon his arrival, and he is growing in confidence. Hoping he continues because he is young but he can give a lot to the team. What did I tell him? Let him do what he knows how to do. He is a young player, but with a lot of talent. Technically he is very strong, so let him play in training. He had a good match and for the future he’s a great player.”
The analysis of his teammates is rather coherent but obviously lacks contrast. Because the reality of a first start in Ligue 1 also reminded Dro that technical ease is not everything. Overall, the former Barça player was less flashy than when he came in, the fault, unsurprisingly, has a physique that is still far from being able to compete with the intensity of Ligue 1. On several occasions, the kid from Nigrán was pushed around, taken back to the race, beaten when it came time to recover the leather. And a statistic which illustrates its difficulty in existing in sequence when the intensity was higher: 7 duels lost out of the 10 contested. And Luis Enrique was more accurate in analyzing the performance of his protégé. “What I think of Dro’s performance is that he showed his quality, his ability to give continuity with the ball, his ability to defend. I think he showed his level. I think we have to go little by little because he is very young (18 years old), he is (still) in this training period but what I saw on the pitch was very good.. So many signals which indicate that there is still a long way to go before becoming a potential holder. But that’s no surprise. In any case, even if he was replaced after an hour of play, appearing a little exhausted, he did the job and Luis Enrique, who wanted to play four days before the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Monaco, was able to appreciate the performance. And Dro himself seems to have understood the message: in Ligue 1, we will still have to work to succeed…
