It’s a match that promises to be, at least, spectacular. This Tuesday (9 p.m.), Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle meet on the lawn of the Parc des Princes for the revenge of what was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of this group stage of the Champions League 2023 edition – 24, with the heavy defeat of Luis Enrique’s men at St-James Park (4-1) on October 4. To get into the swing of things, the two teams largely won at home against tough opponents, Paris against Monaco (5-2) and Newcastle against Chelsea (4-1).
Before this decisive match, the Parisians have at least bought themselves the tranquility of the winner with this success as clear as it is spectacular. In the ranks of the club, we are happy to have done the work before this big meeting. “We suffered, at times more than others, but it’s the best way to prepare than to win,” greeted Luis Enrique at a press conference Friday evening. And winning style is even better. »
A victory which proved several things: that this PSG is capable of largely dominating tough opponents, that its animation and its offensive efficiency are not necessarily dependent on Kylian Mbappé, and that its workforce has the necessary quality to compensate for the absences of Marquinhos and Zaire-Emery.
Mukiele and Ruiz, satisfactory replacements?
To replace the Brazilian, Luis Enrique made the logical choice to bring Lucas Hernandez into the center and to trust Nordi Mukiele on the left side, a position which the Ile-de-France native has regularly helped out this season and to which he does not has never been ridiculous, quite the contrary. In the midfield, it is difficult to forget the precocious and hyperactive “WZE” but Fabián Ruiz, author of a full match (he inherited a 7 in our columns) and overall good performances and entries into play this season, has knew how to play his role in a different profile, skillful and fair in the distribution.
If the first leg had shown the limits of the 4-2-4, particularly in the face of the incessant pressure and the all-English intensity put on by the Newcastle players, the return to the 4-3-3 seems to have done good, then that automatisms develop in this system. The advantage is that it allows boys like Ousmane Dembélé, who has 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 matches in all competitions, to express his football to the best of his ability. The disadvantage is that this forces Luis Enrique, before each match, to choose between Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos, both scorers on Friday but on permanent waivers. Without forgetting the return to the group of Marco Asensio, who did not play against Monaco but will be available on Tuesday evening.
These growing certainties, especially since no physical problems were to be deplored after Monaco, cannot do any harm on Tuesday evening, against an opponent who certainly remains on two consecutive defeats in Europe against Dortmund but who knows precisely what wood it is made of and in which direction its cogs turn. The match full of collective mastery against Chelsea shows it once again. It’s up to Paris not to fall into the trap a second time.
