Bayern Munich – Paris Saint-Germain. Football lovers now have their eyes fixed on this summit meeting. Star Wars. The clash between the two main behemoths of European football this season. A poster that legitimately makes more than one salivate, especially considering the spectacle offered during the first leg (5-4). Yes, but a few hours before the start of this Champions League semi-final return, the coach of the reigning European champions, Luis Enrique, certainly has some headaches. The reason? The already announced package of Achraf Hakimi, injured in the thigh during a duel with Konrad Laimer at the Parc des Princes and unavailable for the coming weeks.
Warren Zaire-Emery, natural successor to Hakimi
Therefore, a central question arises: how will the Spanish architect of the capital club compensate for this lack of size? At first glance, one option seems obvious to fill the void left in the right lane: Warren Zaire-Emery. Through his discipline, his volume of play and his maturity, the young French midfielder ticks, in fact, all the boxes to ensure the interim. A natural choice which nevertheless opens up another much more problematic gap: that of the midfield. By moving the Parisian Titi to the right-back position, Luis Enrique could, at the same time, deprive himself of the undeniable contribution of the 20-year-old player in midfield.
In recent weeks, WZE has proven that it is at the top of its game. Scorer when he came into play against Lorient, the native of Montreuil had above all delivered a real masterclass against the Bavarians, renowned for their intensity in the heart of the game. His ability to break lines, to chain efforts and to stabilize phases of possession had, in fact, allowed the Parisians to contain the Munich assaults and his exit at the end of the match had also coincided with the awakening of Vincent Kompany’s men. Repositioning Zaire-Emery in a corridor would therefore force the Asturian to deprive himself of one of his best current players in the midfield, especially at a time when Fabián Ruiz, number 1 candidate to accompany the Neves-Vitinha duo, is going through a more uncertain period.
Zabarnyi, the chef’s surprise?
Less influential in tempo management, sometimes struggling with impact, the Spaniard has since his return not really compensated for the lack of density left by a repositioned Zaire-Emery. Last Tuesday, against Bayern, PSG lost consistency, both in recovery and in controlling the pace, when the former Napoli player made his appearance. “Fabian is an incredible player for us, important, one of the best midfielders in Europe. Every time a player is back after an injury, it’s positive.”assured the former FC Barcelona coach in recent hours. Despite this declaration, could the 55-year-old technician surprise everyone an hour before the start of hostilities on German lands? The idea is clearly not crazy.
Aware of Fabian Ruiz’s current lack of pace, Luis Enrique could, in fact, do without the services of the Spanish international in midfield and keep Zaire-Emery. A choice which would then push him to start Illia Zabarnyi, or even Senny Mayulu in a right-back role. If this option is not necessarily favored by the forecasts, it should not be ruled out. It now remains to be seen how the native of Gijon will answer the following question: where is Zaire-Emery most useful? On the side, to plug an immediate breach, or in the axis, to guarantee the overall coherence of the system? In this equation, no solution seems suitable and this is certainly where the real challenge lies for Luis Enrique: accepting to lose something, to preserve the essential.
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