Keylor Navas epitomises PSG’s brittle spine beneath sheen of glittering forwards
Navas #Navas
The frustration on Neymar’s face when he tried to boot Ruben Dias was the surest sign that the game was up for Paris Saint-Germain. Had this been boxers instead of heavyweight football clubs, the referee would have stepped in.
Idrissa Gueye’s red card showed PSG’s discipline had completely gone. Their heads lost as Manchester City calmly passed their way through them and turned this Champions League semi-final around.
There is a second leg to go but the way Mauricio Pochettino’s players looked at the final whistle, they know it will take a remarkable swing for them to gain control of the tie.
The goals they conceded only shows that life at the top of Ligue 1 can be deceptive. They have won the title seven out of eight years but beneath the sheen of glittering forwards there is a brittle spine.
Before kick-off, Keylor Navas had been highlighted as one of the important players for Paris Saint-Germain. His new long-term contract has just been agreed but he was made to look poor for both goals.
Kevin De Bruyne’s cross should have been dealt with but drifted into the far post, with Navas failing to command his area. He was too late diving for Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick, a save any elite goalkeeper would expect to make.
Video: Thomas Tuchel rues lack of composure and precision after Chelsea draw in Madrid (Evening Standard)
Thomas Tuchel rues lack of composure and precision after Chelsea draw in Madrid
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Throughout PSG’s team there were weak points to exploit, which City managed to do. Once they dominated possession, there was nothing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could do at the other end.
“Marquinhos is going to play. He’s not going to miss this. I want him to play,” said Guardiola on the eve of the game, as there had been an injury concern over the Brazilian. Perhaps the City manager was onto something.
The PSG centre-back may have risen highest to head home the opener but City were able to expose him in the second half. Had they had a No9 on the pitch, the damage could have been worse for Pochettino’s team. Sergio Aguero in his prime would have sniffed chances.
When De Bruyne got on the ball in the first half and put a dangerous pass into the penalty area, it needed Aguero on the end of it. When Kyle Walker sprinted 60 yards to deliver a ball, there was nobody meeting his cross. These were warning signs that PSG were there for the taking.
The goals simply knocked PSG flat. From looking in control, they lost their discipline. Gueye’s dismissal was fortunate not to inflict injury on Ilkay Gundogan.
Pochettino will have discovered that there is little Neymar and Mbappe can do without the ball. In full flow, they are irresistible. Even in the first few minutes, they were pouring forward after pinching the ball off Rodri’s toes.
Angel Di Maria, at 34, looks nothing like the player short on confidence like he was at Manchester United. Yet, when his team-mates let him down, he can revert to the version we saw in the Premier League.
In fairness to PSG, they were not allowed to dominate this tie thanks to City’s patient approach. It shows that they need absolutely everything to go right for them to have a run to the final like they did last season. Once penetrated, they can look ordinary.
It is a big job now for Pochettino to lift these players and get a performance out of them at the Etihad Stadium next week. He needs to summon the spirit of 2019 when his Tottenham team looked finished against City yet got a slice of luck with Var and got through en route to the final.
He may need a comeback more like the Ajax victory of that season when Spurs clutched victory from the jaws of defeat. But it will take those non-Galacticos to be at the top of their game to allow Neymar and Mbappe to shine.
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