Injury-hit Paris itching for Chelsea revenge
Monday, February 16, 2015
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Despite a costly weekend encounter, Paris Saint-Germain are desperate for 'a different story' as they take on the Chelsea FC side that spiked their European ambitions last term.
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'A different story.' So runs the message that Paris Saint-Germain have been promoting on social media as they prepare for another tussle with Chelsea FC, the team that took their slickly honed narrative last season and forced a rewrite.
Just over a year ago, the French club went into their UEFA Champions League quarter-final with the Blues as the rising new force in European football, only to be handed a bitter defeat that abruptly stalled their progress. How fitting, then, that the Ligue 1 titleholders will be reunited with José Mourinho's charges as they attempt to resume their forward momentum.
Laurent Blanc's men claimed the French title and League Cup following their loss to Chelsea, but in truth they have been stuck in a holding pattern ever since. Craving UEFA Champions League success above all else, the entire club has been waiting for an occasion of this magnitude. And despite a clutch of weekend injuries that reinforced their underdog status, that burning desire should prove one of Paris's major assets – allied with a timely upturn in form for several key players.
Last season
"Over the two matches, there was very little between the two sides," said Blanc after Paris were stunned by Demba Ba's late second-leg effort at Stamford Bridge. The French hopefuls had forced themselves into a strong position with a 3-1 victory in their quarter-final opener, but Eden Hazard's 27th-minute penalty in that game came back to haunt them as they exited on away goals.
Missing injured talisman Zlatan Ibrahimović in the second leg, Paris fell behind to an André Schürrle goal, yet they were still poised to advance until substitute Ba – a Paris fan – bundled in from close range with three minutes remaining. "Ultimately, Chelsea's experience of playing at this level of the competition made the very small difference," lamented Blanc.
Listen to highlights of last year's encounter from our Matchday Live radio show...
Form
The shadow of that defeat arguably still haunts Paris, even if they completed their domestic duties in 2013/14 with little fuss. Having won nine consecutive games in all competitions before entertaining Chelsea at the Parc des Princes, they needed just three more Ligue 1 victories to snare the crown and duly completed their task. The Blues, in contrast, lost to Crystal Palace FC before heading to France and dropped off the Premier League summit.
As the teams prepare to do battle once again, it is Chelsea who appear far more comfortable. Seven points clear in England, and having rested at the weekend, they are displaying a swagger that Paris can only envy, with Blanc's side two points off the Ligue 1 pace in third after Saturday's costly 2-2 draw with SM Caen. That said, Paris have won seven of their last nine matches and were only pegged back by Caen after being reduced to nine players due to injuries, while they are the sole UEFA Champions League contenders still involved in four competitions.
Through to another League Cup final and the last eight of the French Cup, they had also begun resembling their old selves before their dramatic late capitulation against Caen, putting a patchy run of results behind them and rediscovering some trademark fluidity. "We're playing good football, but we can still do better," said midfielder Blaise Matuidi last week. "We've shown recently that it's tough to play PSG."
Personnel
Compared to Chelsea, Blanc's options have changed little since last spring and the likelihood is that nine players from Paris's starting XI in that first leg will get another bite of the cherry. The only different faces ought to be right-back Gregory van der Wiel – injured last year – and of course central defender David Luiz, lured from Stamford Bridge before the start of the season and no doubt anxious to shine against his former employers.
The element of continuity could serve Paris well, with the French club not likely to forget how close they came to toppling Chelsea last time out. They will also be hopeful of fielding Ibrahimović in both legs, particularly as the enigmatic forward gave his best performance for some time at the weekend.
Beset by injuries, he has looked a different animal to the player who plundered ten UEFA Champions League goals last season, but his acrobatic effort against Caen was classic Zlatan, and overall he linked up better with his colleagues than he has managed in quite a while. He, more than anyone, will be itching to swing this tie after watching Chelsea scupper his dreams from the sidelines last year.
Question marks still endure regarding the effectiveness of a Paris side featuring both Ibrahimović and Edinson Cavani, but the Uruguay forward is another player to have responded to critics of late. Club top scorer in Europe with five goals, Cavani emerged from a testing period with a morale-boosting header against French Cup opponents FC Nantes last week.
Further back, captain Thiago Silva has done even more to turn a tide of negative opinion. The Brazil centre-half struggled after missing two months at the start of the campaign, but he has restated his credentials while marshalling a defence that conceded just two goals in six outings before Saturday. "I was never worried he wouldn't," assured Blanc.
Likewise, Thiago Motta's recent form has been encouraging, though he and Matuidi are slight injury concerns. Matuidi was one of four men forced out of the Caen game, along with potential starters Marquinhos and Lucas, but despite the shock of losing so many players at once, Paris have the resources to cope. After all, the forward set to replace the inconsistent Lucas is Ezequiel Lavezzi, who registered at the weekend and took less than four minutes to score against the Blues last term.
Tactics
Chelsea's experience may have told in 2013/14, yet Paris have surely learned crucial lessons from their exit. Primarily, they will want to keep a clean sheet at home, and, encouragingly, their rearguard has helped them pick up points in recent weeks, giving their more attacking colleagues a platform to find their feet. Perhaps significantly, David Luiz and Thiago Silva also know Willian, Oscar and Ramires well from Brazil duty.
The Paris midfield will likewise need to grasp the upper hand versus their dynamic counterparts. The familiar triumvirate of Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Motta has looked uncharacteristically blunt at times this season, but Blanc's midfield department can undoubtedly raise its game for the big occasions, as in September's 3-2 win against FC Barcelona. Providing the trio can achieve the same levels of movement, energy and precision, they can rival even the best opposition units.
As always, Ibrahimović will be crucial too, and Paris need the Sweden captain to drop deep and help orchestrate play – a rarer sight this term than it was in 2013/14. With Javier Pastore only just back from a calf complaint and likely to start on the bench, Ibrahimović's promptings outside the area will be vital. Indeed, for all the talk of 'a different story', Paris require their key players to remember what it is they do best.