ANALYSE – Luis Enrique will “rotate” this Saturday (9 p.m.), in Angers, during the 11th day of Ligue 1. The opportunity for some to grab some playing time… and score points?
For once, Luis Enrique does not hide his plan. The Spanish coach will “turn» in Angers this Saturday (9 p.m.). And this because of the “little rest time” between this meeting of the 11th day of Ligue 1 and the defeat against Atlético Madrid (1-2), Wednesday, on behalf of the fourth day of the Champions League. “We want to show the same image as usual in the championship. It can help us for what comes next. There will be changes (in the 11th). It won't be an easy match. I need all the players ready”assures the 54-year-old Spanish technician, noting that there is “a blockage” within its in terms of efficiency in C1. In the championship as well, but it's less visible… Watch out for the trap match for the Parisian leader, facing an Angevin team which remains on a success in Monaco and is in 15th place in the Ligue 1 standings.
This match should in any case allow a certain number of hairdressers to stretch their legs and, perhaps, score points. Hairdresser, a concept relating to Paris, Luis Enrique doing regular work, at least in L1. One thing is certain: this qualifier does not apply to Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho (withdrawal from Angers), Nuno Mendes (overtaken against the Colchoneros), Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and undoubtedly Marco Asensio, regularly aligned in false 9. Gigio Donnarumma should be part of the list… if Luis Enrique had not downgraded him against Lens (1-0). The fact remains that for others, Angers represents an opportunity to shine. Overview.
Ruiz and Lee at the gates of 11, what about Safonov?
Fabian Ruiz and Kang-in Lee are not strictly speaking hairstylists. However, they are not potential starters either, but they are the closest to the starting 11. In the middle, on the right or in false 9, the South Korean has played all the matches this season (14), four goals and 770 minutes. Beyond his impact in terms of… jersey sales, Lee is perfectly suited to Luis Enrique's idea of play. However, there are better than him in all the positions he can claim. As for Ruiz, he is one of the “five very high level midfielders” available to the Spanish technician, that is to say Vitinha, Joao Neves, Warren Zaire-Emery, Senny Mayulu (see elsewhere) and therefore Ruiz, “a recognized player, Spanish international, European champion. He has an ability to do things that fans and journalists don't see.underlines Luis Enrique. Except that the person concerned cannot express himself in Paris at the level which is his in selection. Big gap. Fabian Ruiz de la Roja would have his place in the Parisian 11. In the meantime, the trio Viti/Neves/«WZE» seems to be ahead.
As for Matfey Safonov, recruited for €20 million last summer, the situation is more confused. Understudy since the start of the season, the Russian international goalkeeper started against Lens (1-0). A tactical choice, as Luis Enrique explained. Enough to imagine real competition with Gigio Donnarumma? In any case, it was the Italian who kept the Parisian cages against Atlético (1-2). He was also not reassuring, especially on Madrid's second goal… If Safonov played against the Sang et Or, his fourth match, it was mainly for his ability to play on the foot and to offer one more solution for face opposing pressure. One-off choice, start of a trend?
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Gifted, growing pains
€50 million, plus €10 in bonuses. PSG did not skimp on the means to poach Désiré Doué from Rennes and steal him from Bayern. He chose Paris rather than Munich. But Luis Enrique rarely chooses him. 11 games but only 378 minutes. A decisive pass. Shy during his entrances, often on the left, Doué does not manage (yet?) to express himself in his new colors. “I feel good, the coach trusts me, the team too, they have integrated me very well and I am sure that I will have more and more playing time”assured the person concerned recently. “Alright. There are no mathematical rules in football. Some players have it easier, others less so, perhaps a French player has an easier time adapting but this is not always the case, each case is different. Most players adapt easily, others more slowly. Désiré Doué is a top player for the future and today. He needs to have the right mentality to help the team today.”slides “Lucho”. Message received?
Kolo Muani and Skriniar, dead end
Selection starters, replacements at the end of the bench at the club? This is the life of Randal Kolo Muani and Milan Skriniar, who have few prospects under Luis Enrique. Their profile doesn't fit. To imagine better days and rediscover the taste of the field on a regular basis, the French and the Slovak are waiting for the international windows… and a transfer. Moreover, the former Inter defender has already been pushed out this summer, without success. There is no doubt that Paris will try to exfiltrate it again this winter. “Kolo” seems to have a similar future according to the latest reports. You still have to find a base that suits you. A priori, Paris-SG would wait between €40 and €50 million to open the door to the ex-Nantes player, recruited… for €95 million. Note that “Lucho” recently reminded us that he is also attentive to what he sees “in matches and in training”with a question about Kolo Muani. A way of saying that the international tricolor is not fully in Poissy?
Skriniar has had barely more playing time than the titis since the start of the season, i.e. 201 minutes in three games. 392 minutes, 11 matches and two goals for Randal Kolo Muani, replaced at half-time recently in Nice (1-1). The native of Bondy could have been the Parisian hero against Atlético Madrid… if Achraf Hakimi had seen him, alone at six meters, at the end of the game. In any case, “Kolo” is neither a 9 nor a false 9. And he therefore does not fit into the boxes that “Lucho” has in mind. And on the right, where we saw the person glowing in Blue? Ousmane Dembélé, Lee or Doué are the preferred Spanish technician…
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Beraldo, disappointed hope?
Author of several great performances last winter, for his first weeks in Paris, Lucas Beraldo has the greatest difficulty in confirming. The quality of recovery is there. The rest is harder… The young (20 year old) Brazilian international still has his whole future ahead of him. In the meantime, he's having trouble. Luis Enrique does not help him by often making him play on the left. Eight matches and 574 minutes. However, the Spanish coach does not ask too many questions to compose his central hinge. Beraldo is not invited.
Mayulu, Zague, Mbaye, the titis in the waiting room
The side Yoram Zague and the attacker Ibrahim Mbaye are only entitled to crumbs. 71 minutes in one match for the first, 83 minutes in five appearances for the second. At 18 and 16 respectively, they have time. But for now, Luis Enrique only has limited confidence in them. It's different for Senny Mayulu. Aged 18, like Zague, the native of Blanc-Mesnil played 131 minutes in seven matches. Above all, Luis Enrique includes it in his list of “five very high level midfielders” with Vitinha, Neves, Zaire-Emery and Ruiz. Already a goal on the clock for the U20 international, against Strasbourg (4-2), he who had already found the net last season in the Coupe de France. Cheer, versatility, technical qualities… In short, everything his Spanish coach likes.
