Kylian Mbappé celebrates his goal with his PSG teammate Lucas Hernandez, against Strasbourg, at the Parc des Princes, in Paris, October 21, 2023. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
This PSG 2023-2024 has something new. Because despite some quite staggering gaps since the start of the season – already three draws and two defeats – and a not really satisfactory balance sheet, we have the impression of generally seeing a road map. Ambition in the style of play proposed and a gradual increase in power. This was in any case the case, Saturday October 21, at the Parc des Princes against Strasbourg. Without being absolutely brilliant and with a reshuffled eleven, Luis Henrique’s men quietly won 3-0, with 77% of ball possession on the clock.
More concretely, Paris temporarily takes the lead in Ligue 1 ahead of Monaco, with 18 points, pending the result of the Riviera derby between OM and Nice, Saturday evening (9 p.m.). Great news for Marquinhos’ teammates, the captain who has become the second most capped player (417) in the club’s history. They must also not forget that, last season, under the orders of Christophe Galtier, after 9 matches, the club had seven more points.
From the first minutes, we understood what the match should have looked like. A little attack-defense game, with a timer in hand: how long would Strasbourg be able to hold out at this pace?
Not long, obviously, since after a good combination between Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola on the left, Gonçalo Ramos went for a foul in the area (9th) and a penalty. Thanks to a powerful shot on goal, catapulted by “KM7” into the right net of Matz Sels, PSG opened the scoring.
Mbappé’s return to form
Forced to abandon the idea of defending tooth and nail, the Alsatians failed to equalize from a corner in the process. It came close to a calf, that of Lebo Mothiba, flagged offside by the video referee. After which, Patrick Vieira’s players no longer offered much, thus leaving the Parisians the opportunity to deploy their game as they saw fit. Mbappé, found in depth, gave Lucas Perrin a cold sweat on a dribble, before serving Carlos Soler perfectly. The Spaniard made the break with one touch of the ball (31st).
A goal (the fourth in three games) and an assist, therefore, for Kylian Mbappé. Enough to confirm his return to form. Not far from scoring a double in the first half thanks to a new sprint-like acceleration, his relationship with his partners on the left wing was also interesting.
And this in a fairly new formation, with Soler and Vitinha established as hybrid full-backs. Achraf Hakimi, Milan Skriniar and Manuel Ugarte left to rest on the bench, Paris evolved in “3-3-4 when we had the ball”, explained Luis Henrique. That is three defenders, three midfielders and four (!) attackers. “ We play as offensively as possible and try to move forward as quickly as possible. », Supported the Spanish coach.
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Not much to report in the second act. Some hot situations for Strabourg, or rather lukewarm for that matter, with PSG calmly managing the end of the match. “ It’s always difficult to manage when you’re leading 2-0 at half-time, but we insisted on having good possession of the ball », summarized Luis Henrique, speaking to Prime Video.
The entries of Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani did not give any bite to the Parisian attack. It was also Fabian Ruiz, after an inspired dribble in the opposing area, who put an end to this match with an outside foot from close range.
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A serene and therefore reassuring performance for Paris. Necessary too, since the Parisians will host AC Milan, for the first time in more than twenty years in official competition, in four days, in the Champions League. A reunion that is anything but tender, since the capital’s players need points to reposition themselves in Group F, after the slap they received in Newcastle at the start of the month.