The winter break has not bode well for Paris Saint-Germain.
Going into the match against Bastia sans Salvatore Sirigu and Thiago Motta, one might not be too worried at first because Zlatan Ibrahimovic is there, isn’t he? And the other more important Thiago was at the back. That’s really all PSG need in a match these days, right?
Plus, their opponents were not of the same caliber as Marseille or Lyon, were they? Before their meeting with the Parisians, Bastia have only won once in their last 5 matches. Their home record has also seen them win only 3 from 10 played. Well, make that 4 wins now in 11, after this surprise result. It’s Bastia’s first consecutive home victory to make it undefeated in 3 league matches for I Turchini. Have they finally turned a corner? Only time will tell with Toulouse, Bordeaux and Lens waiting in the wings for them this month.
Or perhaps, this is a blip on PSG’s part?
Before the holidays, PSG were winless in 2 league games. But they dominated this match from the get-go, as expected. Le Parisiens had more possession, shots on goal, dribbles, passes, touches of the ball and won more aerial duels, as they should have. In the end however, the only thing that matters is the final scoreline, 4 – 2 in favor of the home team, Bastia.
It is the first time PSG have conceded 4 goals since manager Laurent Blanc took charge. It was also the first time this season, PSG have gone 3 league matches without a win. The result does not help their away form either. This is the third straight time PSG have failed to pick up maximum points in a league game. What’s more, there’s only been one win in their last five Ligue 1 games, dating back to December last year.
Questions will be asked – how big a cause for concern is this? Does the team need to be strengthened ahead of the return of the UEFA Champions League in February? Are their South American stars, Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi unsettling the squad with their antics?
What is certain is how they have disrupted this match by being unavailable for it. Both players were not featured due to indiscipline, after returning late from their winter breaks. So Laurent Blanc suspended them for 2 matches. In this instance, do you disregard team discipline over results?
But with an enviable depth in their squad, surely PSG were not really missing either man? Maybe it’s time to plan the team without them? PSG will surely be better off, than to have 2 disillusioned squad members. There are many equally talented if not more, out there who deserve a spot in the team. For this match, there was the promising Christophe Bahebeck, reliable Yohan Cabaye, Javier Pastore, Adrien Rabiot and talented Lucas Moura at Blanc’s disposal.
Choosing not to start Marco Verratti was a puzzle, seeing as the Italian was the preferred choice earlier in the season. In fact, why Blanc decided to disrupt the winning midfield combination of Verratti, Motta and Blaise Matuidi is bewildering, unless there were injury concerns or suspensions to be served. Otherwise, why fix what’s not broken?
PSG were also the ones who got a 2-goal lead in the game, before squandering it – Bastia successfully clawed their way back to tie the match by half time. Failure to hold on to a lead in a match seems to be a trend for PSG this season, and they have suffered for it, on at least 6 occasions already.
As a result, there has to be scrutiny on the back 4. Many are pointing the finger at Gregory Van Der Wiel for conceding the penalty and losing Julian Palmieri which resulted in the 6th goal of the game. No, not the wonder strike but the one after that. In fact, 3 of Bastia’s goals were arguably very avoidable. With a back line that includes one of the world’s best centrebacks in the world Thiago Silva, surely they were defend-able?
When a team is not doing well, particularly a well-endorsed side like PSG, the blame game cannot be helped. But seeing as Moura and Rabiot had already delivered a goal a piece by the 20th minute, you’d think the team’s offensive side had already done their job. It was up to the defence to bring the bacon home metaphorically, right? Prior to this match, Bastia were tied for having the 2nd worst offence among the league’s bottom 10 teams. So how did they score 3 goals and a penalty against a team with the 2nd most stingiest defence in the top 5?
It may only be PSG’s second loss of the season but if they continue in this vein of inconsistency, how can they expect to put up a challenge in Europe? Think Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. Before they know it, they’d be expected to scramble on both fronts instead of being given the choice of cruising comfortably in the league and focusing more on the Champions League instead.
For a club of PSG’s stature, after winning the league title, European glory would automatically be their next target, wouldn’t it? Because you just know what will happen if they fail to win any silverware in a season – a managerial change. Next up for PSG to round off the month of January are 17th place Evian, 3rd place Saint-Etienne who are undefeated in 11 league matches and 9th place Rennes who PSG have failed to beat in back to back seasons.
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