For all the talk of the El Clasico clubs and Bayern Munich being the clear favourites for Champions League success, one club—Paris Saint-Germain—has been slightly ignored from that list.
The French champions have undoubtedly a tough task in their two legged quarter final tie with Chelsea, but PSG have never had a greater opportunity to reach the final four of Europe’s elite competition since they last reached the semi final stage back in the 1994/95 season.
Chelsea are in poor form at the moment and that is great news for the Parisian side. After setting a dominant pace in the Premier League, Chelsea now find themselves in second place after losing to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in recent weeks—form that cannot be defined as championship winning.
On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain, are following in the footsteps of Bayern Munich and Juventus, by dominating their domestic league this season. PSG currently sit 13 points ahead of their other billionaire rivals AS Monaco with only seven games remaining. The increase in how dominant PSG are in the league in comparison to two years ago is incredible—if slightly concerning for the competitive state of French football. It’s proof that their heavy investment is paying off.
The side from the French capital has been epitomised by the polarising Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The veteran Swedish international is in the form of his life since moving from AC Milan in the summer of 2012 for only £18.5 million. He has scored a remarkable 75 goals in 88 games for the club since his transfer—a goals per game ratio that is nearly as good as Cristiano Ronaldo’s or Lionel Messi’s. He has also surpassed Carlos Bianchi’s club record for most goals scored in a single season.
But Ibrahimovic is not the only invaluable asset the club has on their playing staff. Head coach Laurent Blanc tends to play PSG in a 4-3-3 formation with Ibrahimovic playing up front with two men on the wings behind him, with an ability to create chances.
One of those men is Uruguayan international Edison Cavani, who only joined this summer from Napoli on a deal worth £53 million. He has scored an impressive 35 goals in 60 appearances for the club this season and has 11 assists. The other man is Argentinian Ezequiel Lavezzi who has scored 17 in 63 games and has 7 assists.
The combination of Cavani and Lavezzi in the Champions League two years ago for Napoli nearly cost Chelsea the Champions League trophy. Replace Marek Hamsik with Ibrahimovic (and pretty much most of the Napoli squad with the PSG squad), and you have yourselves a lethal trio that could inflict considerable damage, even on a solid defence like Chelsea’s. The combination of Ibrahimovic, Cavani and Lavezzi has meant that PSG have scored the second most amount of goals in the Champions League.
Furthermore Paris Saint-Germain have not been beaten at home in 28 games in European competitions, which is a phenomenal achievement that even the likes of Bayern Munich or their opponents Chelsea cannot achieve. And to limit praise to the amazing attacking trio would not be a crime.
They have a fantastic array of talent in the midfield with the likes of Javier Pastore, Yohann Cabaye, Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi but one cannot help but feel that they should be contributing more. Out of all the midfield players only Marco Verrati has got more than five assists (this depends on whether you see Lucas Moura as a midfielder or attacker). The defence has been pretty solid in the league, but PSG are not that challenged by the domestic scene either.
When it comes to Europe, PSG have not really faced that much of a challenge too. They have only had to face Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiakos, Benfica and Anderlecht, and no offense to anybody who supports them, but they are not exactly of Chelsea’s calibre.
For PSG this will be their toughest test in Europe. Ever. Yes, they had Barcelona at this same stage last year, but they were considered underdogs heading into that fixture. This time they are considered equal with Chelsea in the footballing world and one could say that they might have a better starting XI than their London opponents.
It is impossible to say what PSG might do tactically speaking but if I were in Blanc’s shoes, I would see if we could break them down early on and play an expansive game of football. The attacking trio of Ibrahimovic, Cavani and Lavezzi is key to their success as Chelsea’s defence of Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill and Cesar is to them. The only downside by trying to push forward too early is that they could be susceptible to a famous Chelsea style counter attack from their trio of Hazard, Oscar and Willian.
If Paris Saint-Germain want to establish themselves as contenders, or as a permanent member of Europe’s elite for years to come, then these next two European games, is an important opportunity they must not waste. With Chelsea not at their strongest mentally and physically, it’s important for PSG to win this tie, but to dominate it, and they have that ability in their dynamic trio.
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