Sorry, wrong thread
PSG | 2016-17 Performance Thread
- Thread starter Ecstatic
- Start date
Emery is struggling early, injuries certainly don't help - carries a big chip on his shoulder from his successes at Sevilla yet hasn't been able to get the players to really adopt his approach switching back to the same 4-3-3 Blanc had them in. Doesn't enjoy a similar backing from the board or SD with Kluivert et al that he did with Monchi and patience is likely wearing thin.
Draxler is a very promising talent but comes with similar baggage to what his PSG teammates have already been afflicted with - curious to see how this plays out but I am skeptical that he will remain coach for very long (even with the 12 million indemnity clause which is half of what they paid out to Laurent Blanc). Nasser & QSI are undoubtedly lining up alternatives
Draxler is a very promising talent but comes with similar baggage to what his PSG teammates have already been afflicted with - curious to see how this plays out but I am skeptical that he will remain coach for very long (even with the 12 million indemnity clause which is half of what they paid out to Laurent Blanc). Nasser & QSI are undoubtedly lining up alternatives
Or Matuidi. What's up with being played on the wings?
Or Matuidi. What's up with being played on the wings?
The fear of losing
In other words, no chance for Jésé & Ben Arfa to play a single minute against Barcelona.
Is Jesé heading to Spain?The fear of losing
In other words, no chance for Jésé & Ben Arfa to play a single minute against Barcelona.
Some reports say he could be loaned there but Las Palmas tries to make PSG pay his wages.
Of course, they can't afford it
FEATURE | The French View: Why Julian Draxler can kickstart PSG’s season
As of late, the French champions have come under fire for poor play, lack of on-field cohesion, and motivation. However, regardless of the saying, in football, money can buy you happiness. PSG will sign Wolfsburg’s star Julian Draxler when the January transfer window opens in the coming days, for a reported fee rising to over €40m.
Some may look at this as overspending or a lack of obvious direction in term recruitment strategy on the part of PSG. However, I would say this is exactly what Les Parisiens need to set the ship back on course. Draxler, like Ben Arfa, can play in attacking midfield or on the left or right wing, excellent with both feet. Having had an overwhelmingly disappointing summer window, PSG had resorted to moving the central midfielder Matuidi to the wing and out of the midfield troika, causing them to suffer in midfield and attack as the side’s balance was thrown off. Draxler can add a real threat from 1 on 1 situations and depth to this squad. His ability to play multiple positions at a high level will allow players to fall back into their natural role.
Draxler is a match-up nightmare in size and in speed. He truly brings a dynamic to the club that might just be the missing ingredient to transform this sub-par season. Regardless of if Emery is able to make a change back to his 4-2-3-1 formation or if he stays with the 4-3-3, Draxler can fill in anywhere. The trio of Lucas, Draxler, and Cavani is a mixture of unmatched speed and service in passing. The flexibility he provides with the already impressive PSG squad is a manager’s dream. Emery was brought in to be a general, making changes according to the opposition the club is facing and adapting to matches when things are not going as planned. Draxler could be the piece that allows Emery to have the flexibility to be the creative, fiery, leader people thought he was before he arrived from Spain.
The apparent lack of on-pitch chemistry has been a real problem for PSG by all accounts. Fights on pitch during matches, players showing discontent when being brought off of the pitch and just lack of unity and collective desire. While Draxler is not going to solve all of those problems at once, fresh blood, especially when obviously talented, sometimes finds a way of re-energising everybody else’s batteries.
Draxler is a young player who is still looking to prove himself. The World Cup winner needed a fresh start just as much as PSG are hoping to gain from this signing. He created widespread public discontent against himself at Wolfsburg when he went public with his efforts to force a move away and the bright lights of Paris could really be the environment necessary for Draxler to turns his obvious potential into undoubted talent. When a player like Di Maria finds himself in the starting XI match after match with sub-par showings, it breeds lackadaisical team performances. With Draxler in the squad, there is no longer room for a player to offer careless performances and expect to just start in the next game. At worst, Draxler is giving Emery an insurance policy. At best, he is giving him a game changer.
I believe time will show this was great move for Draxler and PSG and one that assists in pushing the current champions back to the top of the table. Jesé was not able to threaten a starting XI place, and, although he has received minimal opportunities to show his worth, must be seen as a failure at this juncture. Some may see the signing of Draxler to be a little more of a gamble than I do, but I am a firm believer in paying a player for their future ability and not past accomplishments or shortcomings. A player with the youth and talent of Draxler is a gamble I would double down on every time.
A.S.
December 29th, 2016
As of late, the French champions have come under fire for poor play, lack of on-field cohesion, and motivation. However, regardless of the saying, in football, money can buy you happiness. PSG will sign Wolfsburg’s star Julian Draxler when the January transfer window opens in the coming days, for a reported fee rising to over €40m.
Some may look at this as overspending or a lack of obvious direction in term recruitment strategy on the part of PSG. However, I would say this is exactly what Les Parisiens need to set the ship back on course. Draxler, like Ben Arfa, can play in attacking midfield or on the left or right wing, excellent with both feet. Having had an overwhelmingly disappointing summer window, PSG had resorted to moving the central midfielder Matuidi to the wing and out of the midfield troika, causing them to suffer in midfield and attack as the side’s balance was thrown off. Draxler can add a real threat from 1 on 1 situations and depth to this squad. His ability to play multiple positions at a high level will allow players to fall back into their natural role.
Draxler is a match-up nightmare in size and in speed. He truly brings a dynamic to the club that might just be the missing ingredient to transform this sub-par season. Regardless of if Emery is able to make a change back to his 4-2-3-1 formation or if he stays with the 4-3-3, Draxler can fill in anywhere. The trio of Lucas, Draxler, and Cavani is a mixture of unmatched speed and service in passing. The flexibility he provides with the already impressive PSG squad is a manager’s dream. Emery was brought in to be a general, making changes according to the opposition the club is facing and adapting to matches when things are not going as planned. Draxler could be the piece that allows Emery to have the flexibility to be the creative, fiery, leader people thought he was before he arrived from Spain.
The apparent lack of on-pitch chemistry has been a real problem for PSG by all accounts. Fights on pitch during matches, players showing discontent when being brought off of the pitch and just lack of unity and collective desire. While Draxler is not going to solve all of those problems at once, fresh blood, especially when obviously talented, sometimes finds a way of re-energising everybody else’s batteries.
Draxler is a young player who is still looking to prove himself. The World Cup winner needed a fresh start just as much as PSG are hoping to gain from this signing. He created widespread public discontent against himself at Wolfsburg when he went public with his efforts to force a move away and the bright lights of Paris could really be the environment necessary for Draxler to turns his obvious potential into undoubted talent. When a player like Di Maria finds himself in the starting XI match after match with sub-par showings, it breeds lackadaisical team performances. With Draxler in the squad, there is no longer room for a player to offer careless performances and expect to just start in the next game. At worst, Draxler is giving Emery an insurance policy. At best, he is giving him a game changer.
I believe time will show this was great move for Draxler and PSG and one that assists in pushing the current champions back to the top of the table. Jesé was not able to threaten a starting XI place, and, although he has received minimal opportunities to show his worth, must be seen as a failure at this juncture. Some may see the signing of Draxler to be a little more of a gamble than I do, but I am a firm believer in paying a player for their future ability and not past accomplishments or shortcomings. A player with the youth and talent of Draxler is a gamble I would double down on every time.
A.S.
December 29th, 2016
Im not quoting the post above as way too much text in there but it does read suspiciously like our spin when Mata joined in 2014. Hoping one player saves what has been a pretty poor season for them.
FEATURE | The German View: Do not bet against Julian Draxler to succeed at PSG
The last few months of Julian Draxler’s career have been rather rocky to say the least. After making his desire to leave public in the summer, his relationship with VfL Wolfsburg broke down majorly and a January move always seemed a distinct possibility. Now, having jumped ship from the sinking Wolfsburg, Draxler has his chance to reassert himself as one of the world’s most exciting young talents at a true European superpower: Paris Saint-Germain, subject to a medical.
£30m appears to be a snip in today’s market. Draxler’s excellence has never really been in doubt; why else would clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus have courted him so regularly? The clamour for him is no panicked rush – as soon as he became available, big teams were incredibly keen. After all, at 23, he still has the potential to establish himself as one of the best attacking players in the world. He did suffer from substantial injury woes in the past, having been plagued somewhat between 2013 and 2015. Moreover, muscle and tendon injuries always pose a threat after such a period. However, this change of scenery may suit the 23-year-old down to the ground.
The signing of Draxler brings to mind that of another of PSG’s creative midfielders in the form of Javier Pastore, who is currently out injured. If he manages to replicate Pastore’s, albeit sporadic, success then the French champions will have a very tidy player on their hands. The former mimics the latter stylistically, with the emphasis on delicacy and finesse as opposed to the pace and power synonymous with the intensity of the Bundesliga. Moreover, they are both adept at bringing others into the game, meaning that Edinson Cavani will be licking his lips come the end of the winter break.
Like many of the best creative midfielders, Draxler brings versatility; the German international has been utilised all across the front line at least once this season as well as in behind the striker. This means that, if nothing else, Draxler will be able to provide ample cover for the likes of Lucas Moura and Angel Di Maria who have frequented the wide positions this season.
However, it is also possible that PSG will deploy their new acquisition in a central role behind Cavani. Out-and-out central midfielders Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot and Blaise Matuidi may be made to duel for the two spots in behind Draxler in order to accommodate the man who is said to be costing PSG in the region of £30m. However, it is unclear whether Unai Emery would be willing to change his fluid 4-3-3 purely on the arrival of one player.
So it is clear that there is room for Draxler, particularly with the injury to Pastore and the potential departure of Jesé Rodriguez, who has been linked with a loan move to Las Palmas back in Spain. What will worry PSG fans will be Draxler’s rather lacklustre season thus far in terms of pure numbers: no goals and just two assists to his name in 13 league appearances is not the kind of return a player of his quality should be boasting.
With PSG five points off top spot, this perhaps does not represent the most galvanising signing imaginable. After all, pouncing on an unsettled and unwanted star for a cut price is a far cry from prising a true superstar from one of their European rivals.
But, at a purely psychological level, Draxler still has a point to prove. Despite good performances at the European Championships, there is a new wave of young German talent sweeping the nation and the new PSG man will need to be on his toes to ensure he isn’t usurped by the likes of Julian Brandt or Max Meyer.
Draxler should be looking to grab the bull by the horns when Ligue 1 returns from its winter break and, with regular football, he should be able to help the champions bridge the gap between themselves and table-topping OGC Nice.
To use something of an old cliché, form is temporary and class is permanent. Having had an underwhelming season at an underperforming club thus far, Draxler now has a golden chance to prove that he’s here to stay on the world stage – and you shouldn’t bet against him to do just that.
M.C.
PSG 1-0 Rennes - yesterday
Today
Di Maria has been dropped?
why the feck is this a yellow card?
Not allowed to do a 'trick' to bypass the back pass rule. It happened in Spain few years ago when a player flicked it up and headed it back to the keeper. It isn't allowed.
Why is it a booking and not seen as a back pass? I think that would be fair. I cant imagine a player thinking this wasnt allowed.
I don't know. Maybe unsportsmanlike behavior? Its harsh anyway.
I know the flick and head isnt allowed and i sort of understand why but this should be allowed IMO
Not a big deal obviously but its a bit stupid....soon they will ban tricks and skills because its not nice to embarrass the opponent, players are ready for it as we saw it last season with Neymar against Atletico.
Yeah I agree. I have no issue with players like Neymar showboating. I have a hazy memory but I'm sure Kluivert scored a goal like this once and it was allowed.
Gonçalo Guedes currently undergoing PSG medical
Portuguese international attacker Gonçalo Guedes is currently undergoing a medical with PSG ahead of signing a 4.5 year contract, according to RMC.
The medical is occurring at a good pace and the player is expected to complete his move this afternoon with the traditional contract signing. He is set to join from Benfica for €30m.
PSG fought off interest from AS Monaco and Manchester United for the player, according to Portuguese reports.
Jesé closing in on loan move to Middlesbrough
PSG’s Spanish attacker Jesé is closing in on a loan move to Premier League side Middlesbrough until the end of the season, according to L’Équipe.
The former Real Madrid man had been seeking a move to Las Palmas this month, but the La Liga side were not able to agree the salary conditions proposed by PSG (20% of the player’s wages).
A move to Middlesbrough would see Jesé link up with Aitor Karanka, who he knows from his time at Los Blancos.
Just final details to wrap up between PSG and the Premier League side in the coming hours, Jesé is set to join Middlesbrough until the end of the season.
Lorenzo Callegari set for 18-month loan to Genoa
PSG’s 18 year old Italian central midfielder Lorenzo Callegari is due to join Genoa on an 18 month loan deal by Friday, according to Le Parisien.
The deal will include an option to buy for the Serie A outfit, but then a counter-option to buy for PSG, who will be able to purchase him back immediately if they feel as if he has enough talent to make it in the Les Parisiens’ first team – those details are still being worked out between the two clubs.
This move is peculiar and has been pushed by the player’s agent, Alessandro Canovi, who is also the man who deals with Thiago Motta’s affairs.
Iago Aspas confirms PSG approach
Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas has confirmed that he was approached about a possible move to PSG this month, speaking to Cadena Ser.
“I am very happy here… this is my home. There was always interest from other teams, but I will stay here as long as the club wants me to. There were approaches from PSG and other teams, but I repeat that I am very happy here. I had always dreamt of playing for Celta Vigo, ever since I was little. I want to finish may career with Celta.”
Atalanta have rejected an offer from PSG for Franck Kessié
Serie A side Atalanta have rejected an offer with €25m plus bonuses in the last 48 hours from PSG for Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié, according to Sky Italia.
Atalanta have also rejected another offer from Chelsea for the player, according to the report, and have since decided to take him off of the market, believing that they can get more for him in the summer transfer window.
PSG’s Spanish attacker Jesé is closing in on a loan move to Premier League side Middlesbrough until the end of the season, according to L’Équipe.
The former Real Madrid man had been seeking a move to Las Palmas this month, but the La Liga side were not able to agree the salary conditions proposed by PSG (20% of the player’s wages).
A move to Middlesbrough would see Jesé link up with Aitor Karanka, who he knows from his time at Los Blancos.
Just final details to wrap up between PSG and the Premier League side in the coming hours, Jesé is set to join Middlesbrough until the end of the season.
Lorenzo Callegari set for 18-month loan to Genoa
PSG’s 18 year old Italian central midfielder Lorenzo Callegari is due to join Genoa on an 18 month loan deal by Friday, according to Le Parisien.
The deal will include an option to buy for the Serie A outfit, but then a counter-option to buy for PSG, who will be able to purchase him back immediately if they feel as if he has enough talent to make it in the Les Parisiens’ first team – those details are still being worked out between the two clubs.
This move is peculiar and has been pushed by the player’s agent, Alessandro Canovi, who is also the man who deals with Thiago Motta’s affairs.
Iago Aspas confirms PSG approach
Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas has confirmed that he was approached about a possible move to PSG this month, speaking to Cadena Ser.
“I am very happy here… this is my home. There was always interest from other teams, but I will stay here as long as the club wants me to. There were approaches from PSG and other teams, but I repeat that I am very happy here. I had always dreamt of playing for Celta Vigo, ever since I was little. I want to finish may career with Celta.”
Atalanta have rejected an offer from PSG for Franck Kessié
Serie A side Atalanta have rejected an offer with €25m plus bonuses in the last 48 hours from PSG for Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié, according to Sky Italia.
Atalanta have also rejected another offer from Chelsea for the player, according to the report, and have since decided to take him off of the market, believing that they can get more for him in the summer transfer window.
Coming
FEATURE | Julian Draxler: PSG’s mid-season catalyst for success
It would be fair to say that the 2016/17 season has so far been a challenging one for Paris Saint-Germain. Trailing AS Monaco and OGC Nice for much of the season and with key players regularly performing below the required level, it was difficult to see where any consistent attacking threat would come from with the exception of Edinson Cavani.
Cue the January signing of German International Julian Draxler; a signing that many believed was not necessary due to PSG’s squad of primed attacking talent that already occupy the two wide positions either side of the Uruguayan.
Javier Pastore, Jesé Rodriguez (now on loan at Las Palmas), Angel Di Maria, Hatem Ben Arfa, Lucas Moura, Giovani Lo Celso and occasionally Blaise Matuidi were all in place to fill in and help provide Cavani with the ammunition to fire PSG to the summit of Ligue 1.
However, collectively over £150m worth of attacking talent was not deemed enough by Emery resulting in the Spaniard dipping into the transfer market for further reinforcements.
So why did PSG sign Draxler?
With Di Maria and Matuidi horribly out of form, Ben Arfa and Jesé deemed not at the right fitness and performance level for a starting place. Pastore struggling with injury and Lo Celso having just arrived from Rosario Central in Argentina, Lucas was the only player that had shown some kind of promise. Unfortunately, as has been the case since he arrived in the capital, Lucas continues to be frustratingly inconsistent.
Julian Draxler was signed on 3rd January 2017 on a four-year-deal from VFL Wolfsburg for a reported £34m and immediately hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against SC Bastia in the Coupe de France.
The PSG faithful immediately took the young German to their hearts and in the weeks commencing, the former Schalke 04 man delivered a string of fine performances scoring a sumptuous winner at Rennes in Ligue 1 and further adding to his tally again with two classy finishes at Rennes in the Coupe de France last Wednesday night.
If there ever was a rationale for his signing then there it was for all to see. Draxler has slotted into this PSG side perfectly and adapted to Unai Emery’s style so effortlessly, whilst instantaneously becoming an indispensable player of the team.
What has been most recognisable about the 23-year-old forward is his incredible pace with the ball at his feet. He is comfortable using both his right and left foot and his ability to keep his cool in front of goal. Draxler can play on the left or right side of Emery’s preferred attacking trio or in the middle of the three should the Spaniard deploy an alternative 4-2-3-1 providing tactical flexibility for Emery.
The German World Cup winner could not have wished for a better start in rouge et bleu, notching 4 goals and 1 assist whilst keeping much of his competition out of the starting XI.
Draxler was ready and prepared for what was ahead when he signed. He told PSG’s official website “Competition is an important element of any great club. When you want to win the big trophies, you have to have competition in the squad. I love it, it pushes me even higher”.
The words of Julian Draxler have come to fruition already with the German showing the immediate impact that was expected of the likes of Jese and Ben Arfa.
Whilst 2017 has been faultless so far for the German, there are implications of his fine form for some of PSG’s other attacking talent.
Most notably Angel Di Maria, who was enormously disappointing for the majority of 2016 and unsurprisingly is the player who has been replaced by Draxler in Emery’s starting XI. The ex-Manchester United man can have no complaints, he hasn’t delivered despite Emery sticking by him.
When the Argentine filled-in for the injured Draxler for the recent Coupe de la Ligue semi-final at Bordeaux, he looked like his old self, scoring two fantastic goals in the process of putting in a man-of-the-match performance.
This clearly indicated that Di Maria did not lose his confidence as has been quoted, moreover it was more likely an unforgivable lack of application and motivation from the player throughout 2016, which is often the case when a player chooses when he wants to perform and when he doesn’t.
This can no longer be the case if Di Maria wants a future at PSG and he will know that better than anyone. The 28-year-old now has a battle on his hands for a starting place and its far more likely that if he breaks back into the starting XI it will be at the expense of Lucas rather than Draxler.
Di Maria should use Draxler’s emergence as a motivating stimulus to get his place back knowing that a repeat of his sub-standard displays of 2016 will see him slip further down the pecking order.
Lucas Moura will also be looking over his shoulder. The inconsistent Brazilian has been favoured by Emery this season – partly due to the poor form of other players – but has been often substituted early-on in games when his impact inevitably deteriorates.
Lucas will know that a fit again Pastore and fan favourite Hatem Ben Arfa will be breathing down his neck for a start and recently acquired youngsters Giovani Lo Celso and Gonçalo Guedes will be eager to show their own qualities in rouge et bleu.
What is clear is that Draxler has brought a positive mindset to a team that were struggling to perform at the heights expected. He will lighten the load on Cavani who has been responsible for scoring so many of PSG’s goals this season with Di Maria and Lucas not delivering well enough on that front.
Draxler will offer a different option on the counter attack and composure in and around the penalty area where Cavani will snatch at chances and often miss. PSG will be boosted by signing another young quality talent with a point to prove and his best years ahead of him.
Also with Draxler choosing PSG over a move to the Premier League, this once again shows the strength of PSG and the ever-growing reputation in European Football that the capital club is an attractive proposition for world class talent.
The signing of Draxler could be one of PSG’s best signings of the QSI era, no doubt there will be more challenging times ahead but if his first month in Paris is anything to go by, it will be fascinating following his progress in Ligue 1.
L.D.
It would be fair to say that the 2016/17 season has so far been a challenging one for Paris Saint-Germain. Trailing AS Monaco and OGC Nice for much of the season and with key players regularly performing below the required level, it was difficult to see where any consistent attacking threat would come from with the exception of Edinson Cavani.
Cue the January signing of German International Julian Draxler; a signing that many believed was not necessary due to PSG’s squad of primed attacking talent that already occupy the two wide positions either side of the Uruguayan.
Javier Pastore, Jesé Rodriguez (now on loan at Las Palmas), Angel Di Maria, Hatem Ben Arfa, Lucas Moura, Giovani Lo Celso and occasionally Blaise Matuidi were all in place to fill in and help provide Cavani with the ammunition to fire PSG to the summit of Ligue 1.
However, collectively over £150m worth of attacking talent was not deemed enough by Emery resulting in the Spaniard dipping into the transfer market for further reinforcements.
So why did PSG sign Draxler?
With Di Maria and Matuidi horribly out of form, Ben Arfa and Jesé deemed not at the right fitness and performance level for a starting place. Pastore struggling with injury and Lo Celso having just arrived from Rosario Central in Argentina, Lucas was the only player that had shown some kind of promise. Unfortunately, as has been the case since he arrived in the capital, Lucas continues to be frustratingly inconsistent.
Julian Draxler was signed on 3rd January 2017 on a four-year-deal from VFL Wolfsburg for a reported £34m and immediately hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against SC Bastia in the Coupe de France.
The PSG faithful immediately took the young German to their hearts and in the weeks commencing, the former Schalke 04 man delivered a string of fine performances scoring a sumptuous winner at Rennes in Ligue 1 and further adding to his tally again with two classy finishes at Rennes in the Coupe de France last Wednesday night.
If there ever was a rationale for his signing then there it was for all to see. Draxler has slotted into this PSG side perfectly and adapted to Unai Emery’s style so effortlessly, whilst instantaneously becoming an indispensable player of the team.
What has been most recognisable about the 23-year-old forward is his incredible pace with the ball at his feet. He is comfortable using both his right and left foot and his ability to keep his cool in front of goal. Draxler can play on the left or right side of Emery’s preferred attacking trio or in the middle of the three should the Spaniard deploy an alternative 4-2-3-1 providing tactical flexibility for Emery.
The German World Cup winner could not have wished for a better start in rouge et bleu, notching 4 goals and 1 assist whilst keeping much of his competition out of the starting XI.
Draxler was ready and prepared for what was ahead when he signed. He told PSG’s official website “Competition is an important element of any great club. When you want to win the big trophies, you have to have competition in the squad. I love it, it pushes me even higher”.
The words of Julian Draxler have come to fruition already with the German showing the immediate impact that was expected of the likes of Jese and Ben Arfa.
Whilst 2017 has been faultless so far for the German, there are implications of his fine form for some of PSG’s other attacking talent.
Most notably Angel Di Maria, who was enormously disappointing for the majority of 2016 and unsurprisingly is the player who has been replaced by Draxler in Emery’s starting XI. The ex-Manchester United man can have no complaints, he hasn’t delivered despite Emery sticking by him.
When the Argentine filled-in for the injured Draxler for the recent Coupe de la Ligue semi-final at Bordeaux, he looked like his old self, scoring two fantastic goals in the process of putting in a man-of-the-match performance.
This clearly indicated that Di Maria did not lose his confidence as has been quoted, moreover it was more likely an unforgivable lack of application and motivation from the player throughout 2016, which is often the case when a player chooses when he wants to perform and when he doesn’t.
This can no longer be the case if Di Maria wants a future at PSG and he will know that better than anyone. The 28-year-old now has a battle on his hands for a starting place and its far more likely that if he breaks back into the starting XI it will be at the expense of Lucas rather than Draxler.
Di Maria should use Draxler’s emergence as a motivating stimulus to get his place back knowing that a repeat of his sub-standard displays of 2016 will see him slip further down the pecking order.
Lucas Moura will also be looking over his shoulder. The inconsistent Brazilian has been favoured by Emery this season – partly due to the poor form of other players – but has been often substituted early-on in games when his impact inevitably deteriorates.
Lucas will know that a fit again Pastore and fan favourite Hatem Ben Arfa will be breathing down his neck for a start and recently acquired youngsters Giovani Lo Celso and Gonçalo Guedes will be eager to show their own qualities in rouge et bleu.
What is clear is that Draxler has brought a positive mindset to a team that were struggling to perform at the heights expected. He will lighten the load on Cavani who has been responsible for scoring so many of PSG’s goals this season with Di Maria and Lucas not delivering well enough on that front.
Draxler will offer a different option on the counter attack and composure in and around the penalty area where Cavani will snatch at chances and often miss. PSG will be boosted by signing another young quality talent with a point to prove and his best years ahead of him.
Also with Draxler choosing PSG over a move to the Premier League, this once again shows the strength of PSG and the ever-growing reputation in European Football that the capital club is an attractive proposition for world class talent.
The signing of Draxler could be one of PSG’s best signings of the QSI era, no doubt there will be more challenging times ahead but if his first month in Paris is anything to go by, it will be fascinating following his progress in Ligue 1.
L.D.
I guess performances like this is what Emery was brought in for.
They're in a great position where most of their key players are tied down to long-term contracts, and they have the financial muscle to resist any mega-bids for their stars.
Could they be the next dominant team in Europe? I think there's a good chance of that, especially with Emery in charge.
I agree with the BT Sports pundits that they're very close to being the finished article as a squad.
Could they be the next dominant team in Europe? I think there's a good chance of that, especially with Emery in charge.
I agree with the BT Sports pundits that they're very close to being the finished article as a squad.
Huge credit to Kimpembe, Rabiot and Meunier today. Didn't seem to care that it was Barcelona at all. All three of them played very well I thought, but Meunier got beaten a few times by Neymar.
Is it a sarcastic video or a serious one? I genuinely can't understand, the montage looks like Eisenstein's acid trip
PSG under 16 - Season 2011/12 - Could you recognize Rabiot (easy), Coman and Kimpembe?
Picture: Culture PSG
Coman left PSG to join Juve because Blanc ignored him while the insiders knew he was above his peers.
Picture: Culture PSG
Coman left PSG to join Juve because Blanc ignored him
while the insiders knew he was above his peers.In order to boost this thread.
PSG women
PSG women
I saw in the Dortmund thread that they are close to signing Dan-Axel Zagadou anyone know why it seems that PSG are struggling to sign their academy players to professional contracts?
It's very hard to break into the PSG first team and despite losing some youngsters we still have many signed and the competition is very tough even from within the academy. We don't have the loaning policy to make up for it.
Our academy is highly rated and our youngsters among the most scouted in the world, giving them many options.
Barca has similar problems, and it has recently gotten even worse for them.
So PSG's midfield when everyone is fit is the following: Rabiot-Thiago Motta-Verratti. Matuidi isn't in the equation, he has played more than anticipated this season because of injuries to Rabiot and Verratti but both players are far better and they are the ones starting the big games.
The only debatable place in that midfield is Thiago Motta and Herrera doesn't have the right profile. So no Herrera would be an automatic starter for PSG.
I said in a 433 Herrera would get in. A 433 is what PSG have played for a majority of the season.
In what do you think the three midfielders mentioned play?
Wow.
Let me break this down for you.
1)PSG for the most part of the season play a 433. Therefore, there are 3 midfield slots. 3.
2)In those 3 midfield slots comes the DM position. The DM position is where Kyrschwiak and Motta will play.
3)That leaves two spots 1 where Verratti will automatically take up because Verratti is a top ten midfielder.
4)Thus, there is one more spot between Herrera, Matuidi and Rabiot. Di Maria has no place here because he hasn't played enough games there to justfiy his quality as a CM. Just because Di Maria is capable of playing CM doesn't mean that the qualities he demonstrates as a winger carries over to being a CM. If that was true, then given PSG's plethora of wingers, why wouldn't he easily start in midfield all these times? Why is it that he hasn't played a single game in the center of the pitch? When he was with us, why didn't he start as a CM in all our games given how much we lacked in midfield at the time? Why did Herrera play more than Di Maria?
5)This now brings us to Herrera vs Rabiot vs Matuidi.
- Herrera has demonstrated he is a better at breaking up play, creating,dribbling, and passing than Matuidi. Matuidi is a better goalscorer, but dosen't score nearly enough goals to make up for his deficiencies. Aside from passing(debatable), the same goes for Rabiot as well
1) You cite caps to compare the two players, which is beyond laughable in my opinion. How does ones caps for national team determine who is the better player? Spain has had arguably the worlds best midfield composed of Koke, Saul, Iniesta, Fabregas, Thiago, Xabi Alonso, Bosquets. Matuidi isn't fit to lick any of their shoes nevermind get into the Spanish national team.
2) Your porous reasoning continues with Rabiot. Using " he has been touted to replace Xavi" as your "fact" to prove that he is better than Herrera is garbage. Herrera was touted as Scholes replacement. Depay was touted as Ronaldo's replacement. @redNATION
Its been mostly Motta/Kyschowiak, Verrati, Matudi/Rabiot
Look it's simple. Rabiot, Verratti and Thiago Motta are PSG starters and Herrera wouldn't be an automatic starter above any of them. Krychowiak has been a ghost and Matuidi's season has been saved by injuries to Verratti and Rabiot.
Also if you actually followed PSG you wouldn't have mentioned Krychowiak who is behind Nkunku in the pecking order, Rabiot is the one moved to the DM position if needed.