PSG won by the narrowest of margins against Lens, even if Paris once again had many clear chances. A look back at the individual performances of the Parisians on a case-by-case basis.
Safonov: The Russian was the surprise of the starting XI more than a month after his last match as a starter and he was impeccable in the defensive part of his role. Lens didn't ask him much but he was perfect in his placement and his saves. But it was mainly for his kicking game that he was chosen by Luis Enrique and he gave snippets of an answer. Under pressure, he sometimes stretched without success. But with a little more time to find a partner, he managed some particularly well-felt tense restarts which allowed PSG to launch actions. So see you again.
Judge: Like his team, he made a huge start to the match on the offensive level, multiplying the runs and crosses which could have been decisive if Ruiz and Asensio had applied themselves a little more. But like his partners, he gradually dispersed technically as he approached the opponent's goal and, if his forward runs always brought something, he lacked precision in the last gesture. Defensively, he was rarely called upon but quietly let Machado challenge Safonov with a header on what will be Lens' biggest opportunity, which is not normal.
Marquinhos: The association with Pacho is of great benefit to the Brazilian who can concentrate on corrective interventions while the Ecuadorian cleans up the duels. The Parisian captain therefore makes his presence appreciated without doing too much, cutting a trajectory here, providing good coverage there. With the ball, he was very clean as often, even if not very adventurous. We must also mention his yellow card, which could even have been a red, at a key moment in the match. His intervention was very sanguine, probably too much, but had the merit of shaking opponent and referee. A true captain’s gesture.
There : The matches follow one another and the Ecuadorian the games during which he drains his direct opponent, imposing on him a physical fight whose outcome is often favorable to him. Facing the very solid Nzola, Pacho once again gave his all and was once again the strong link in the Parisian defense. Intractable from the start to the end of the game with some impressive returns on counterattacks, he was on the other hand less comfortable with restarts, mostly keeping things simple. On a counter that looked perfect, he wanted to make it complicated, it ended badly but no one will blame him given the rest of his match.
Nuno Mendes: The left-back experienced a match that focused for a long time on the defensive part and it was not completely perfect. If the Portuguese managed two big defensive returns into the area, he sometimes had difficulty managing his lane and the one-on-ones that took place there. Offensively, Mendes was able to take advantage of the last half hour at 11 against 10 to show himself and his punch did good but he missed a big opportunity from the right into the area.
Vitinha: Positioned as a sentinel at the start of the match then a notch higher after the break, the little Portuguese was able to show himself in his best light in sequences only. The fact that the match was played without any real control over his team did not really allow him to put his stamp on the match but he regularly knew how to use his technique to launch great actions or find his partners. But he also missed narrowly as he approached the goal while he suffered defensively in the face of Lens' axial breakthroughs, particularly from Diouf. However, this makes a third positive match in a row for the Portuguese.
João Neves: In a not very clear role as right relay in the first half, the Portuguese delivered what is probably his worst half in weeks. If the energy was there, the technical waste was very significant and it suffered greatly from the intensity and athletic density of Lens, both to get the ball out against the pressing and to hinder the opposing transitions where Diouf made him very wrong. The opposing expulsion did him good and he finished the game better, especially on the left side, but did not deliver a great performance overall.
Fabian Ruiz : Left relay relaunched in the starting eleven, he found himself at the start of the Parisian goal with a well-felt tackle after an action that was nevertheless poorly managed. In the best period in Paris, he was excellent at combining in the midfield and launching his partners but wanted to shoot a lot, without real success. Little by little, he lost his positive influence in the game, although initially maintaining an interesting defensive presence in his area, and the further he moved back on the pitch, the less he was a positive factor for his team. Knowing that Luis Enrique had made him go lower at the break, it was not a success and his second half was frankly complicated.
Zaire-Emery replaced him and he made a neutral entry at the end of the match where Paris was playing with the handbrake. To his credit, a shot captured by Samba but little more, and a somewhat stupid disagreement with Hakimi who offers a good counter.
Dembélé: The Parisian winger put in a match that was completely the opposite of his standards this Saturday. From the start, he was well placed in the area to open the scoring and put his team ahead. Shortly after, he sent a nice left shot onto the post. So much for the positive, because what a waste elsewhere. On a bad day in terms of percussion and decision-making, Dembélé missed a lot and played out of time, evidenced by the action on which he came close to injuring his calf.
Lee replaced him post for post quite early in the match, which says a lot about the Frenchman's match, and he signed a stereotypical left-handed right-handed entry, constantly seeking to get back on his strong foot even if it meant breaking any rhythm. Logically, this did not result in much positive.
Asensio : In a very elusive false No.9 role, he took a little time to get into the game but his movements greatly hampered Lens and he knew how to take advantage of it. Sometimes he turned into a passer for his wingers or other partners, sometimes he found himself escaping behind a defense that forgot him a little too much. His match could have been frankly very convincing if he had been a little better in front of goal because the Spaniard literally missed everything in the area, alternating between shots off target and on a Samba who totally dominated him.
Gifted replaced him and he initially positioned himself full axis, passing close to the second Parisian goal with a shot after a well-felt move. But he was then repositioned on the left and as usual got completely lost, making a series of bad decisions and forced strikes.
Barcola: After slightly missing his first action of the match, the second hit the mark with this decisive pass for Dembélé following a good outburst on his part. The rest of the meeting was frustrating, with a lot of racing and a certain amount of self-sacrifice but a lot of waste nonetheless. An easy duel that he swallows before half-time, a cross behind Asensio's back, two easy actions where he must do better. And when he did everything well, it was Samba who released his superb curling shot from the top corner. Note that he finished in the axis, without shining there.
