One-way ! From one Olympics to the next, Paris shows comparable momentum. After scattering OL like a puzzle on September 3 (4-1), he swept away OM like a common wisp of straw (4-0) this Sunday evening. Beautiful work. Chiseled.
For more than a decade now, the clasicos, it is true, follow one another and are similar. They have become, with rare exceptions, the preserve of PSG. The gap between the two best domestic enemies proved, once again, to be far too great to offer a scenario with twists and turns.
So much for the suspense. Nothing, not even the premature exit of Kylian Mbappé, who was quickly injured in the left ankle in a clash with Balerdi, thwarted the Parisians’ inexorable march forward. Five days after a successful start against Dortmund, in the Champions League (2-0), they are back to complete, in accounting terms, a perfect week, after the hitch against Nice (2-3).
Hakimi’s “platinum” free kick
PSG-OM, it resembles, in short, those good old Colombo where the intrigue is deflowered from the first minutes. All it took, this time, was a platinum free kick from Hakimi (8th), rewarding a one-way start to quickly see the balance swing in the camp of the French champion. This propensity to confiscate the ball has a name on the other side of the Pyrenees: “tiki-taka”.
This strategy, allowing the retention of the ball, was previously taken to its highest level of expression at Barcelona under the Johan Cruyff era (who coached the club between 1988 and 1996). Arriving in Catalonia at the time of the departure of the Dutch strategist, Luis Enrique, as a worthy heir, appreciates the behavior of his men. At most he notes these few largesse with the marking along the left corridor without any real consequence except this header from Vitinha on the crossbar (22nd).
A group that lives well
Is it the identity of the opponent, the Spanish technician deliberately displays a pronounced offensive bias with an unprecedented starting composition and an ambitious system with four attackers. He appropriates his opponent’s motto “Straight to the goal”. Far too bogged down in resolving the internal quarrels between management and its supporters, Marseille, in complete discomfiture, will not claim copyright. He receives a football lesson and almost has a tendency to sometimes turn the other cheek, erring on the side of a confusing naivety.
In a topsy-turvy Ligue 1, with an explosive leader from Brest, PSG climbed onto the podium (3rd). Patiently, but surely he spreads his canvas. Even without the crack of Bondy, there emerges from this group revisited during the transfer window, an impression of quiet strength. The brilliance of a culture.
Five scorers in seven matches
With now five scorers in seven games, we are getting closer to the usual standards for a team at this level. By choosing the same evening to unlock their counter Kolo Muani and Ramos have stored up a little confidence. Greedy, the Lusitanian even treats himself twice as much. It doesn’t seem like much, but at this early stage of the season, this amount of small details is nothing insignificant.
More generally, this collective conveys the image of harmonious cohabitation, where everyone contributes their share without pulling the rug for themselves. And the best is ahead of him. The time needed for architect Enrique to complete the last pieces of his enticing house of cards. Looking forward to the sequel.
