February can be a tense time at Paris Saint-Germain. In five of the past seven years, they have fallen in the Champions League round of 16 and last season’s defeat against Bayern Munich began a chaotic final few months of the campaign, where a title was won against the backdrop of boos and protests by supporters.
Real Sociedad’s visit carried trepidation as much as it did expectation.
Four days before this match, the doors were flung open at PSG’s new training ground and the club’s ultras, the Collectif Ultras Paris, were invited to attend a session. They watched on in support and then spoke with the players and staff. It looked symbolic, an attempt to offset the worst outcomes that could follow this testing time. This year, tripwires are not just confined to the Champions League. The club’s future at the Parc des Princes, their home since 1974, looks increasingly uncertain, while there is also the small matter of their all-time leading goalscorer, Kylian Mbappe, potentially leaving in the summer.
Cultivating a sense of buy-in looked like particularly effective forward-thinking during the first half of Wednesday’s encounter. For 45 minutes, PSG were second best against Real Sociedad. The La Liga side copied a well-mapped blueprint for causing PSG problems at the Parc des Princes by pressing aggressively and disrupting the home side’s inconsistent build-up in possession. “The first half was a nightmare,” said Luis Enrique post-match.
The second half was less fraught. Luis Enrique did not reveal what was said to his team at half-time, even though Marquinhos suggested a “telling off” may have been required. “Great cooks do not reveal their recipes,” said the coach.
“If you told me at half-time we would win 2-0, I would be dancing for two hours!” 🕺
A happy Luis Enrique talks to @Becky_Ives_ after PSG’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad…#UCL pic.twitter.com/kbgy8gwvOZ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 14, 2024
Yet the two-sided nature of the performance felt reflective of the contradictions that have so far marked his time in Paris. He wants PSG to be a possession-based side, yet they have scored more goals on the counter-attack than any other team in Ligue 1. He also wants to use PSG’s dominance of the ball to prevent teams from creating chances, yet they have made more errors leading to goals than anyone else in the league.
He also wants to instil a collective team philosophy, with a style that will stand in sharp contrast to the individualism of their recent ‘galacticos’ past. Yet, as was evidenced on Wednesday, this is still a team that leans heavily on individual quality.
Against Real Sociedad, it was their star power that turned the tide.
PSG’s front three of Mbappe, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele proved to be the difference. For all of Real Sociedad’s first-half promise, they did not trouble Gianluigi Donnarumma. They lacked a cutting edge. PSG created two big chances and converted both of them.
The first was scored by Mbappe, his 44th in the Champions League — more than Neymar’s career total in the competition and one only Lionel Messi has bettered before the age of 26. His goal was not about skilful brilliance, it was goalscoring nous and it changed the game. This was a poacher’s finish from a set play, taking advantage of the fact his marker, Hamari Traore, was sidelined temporarily receiving treatment. He was in the right place at the right time and his goal opened the game up.
The second was more individualistic, but in two parts. Dembele, the team’s creative hub, retained possession under pressure and released Barcola on the left wing. Barcola then skipped past his marker with ease and, showing a remarkable turn of pace, managed to prod the ball past the goalkeeper. “It’s a childhood dream to score in a match like this,” he told Canal+.
What a way to get your first goal in the #UCL! 🤩
Brilliant finish from Bradley Barcola! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2b42G2TU4F
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 14, 2024
It has not all been easy for Barcola since his summer arrival from Lyon for €40million (£34m; $43m). After limited and fleeting appearances, the 21-year-old was heavily criticised for his cameo performance against Newcastle United during the 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes in November. He was one of several players guilty of missing glaring opportunities, but he was the fall guy for the evening.
Since then, Barcola has become an integral part of the PSG starting line-up, benefitting from Mbappe’s move into a more central position tactically but securing his position enough to suggest he is one of the first names on the team sheet. His high point came on a mixed night against Brest in late January when he played a hand in both goals and was the team’s main attacking threat. He was also sent off for the first time in his career in stoppage time for two yellow cards, but it was a performance that underlined his growth. It is not just exciting dribbles and fleetness of foot off the left wing that catch the eye, but also his off-the-ball work. Against Real Sociedad, he made more tackles than anyone else for PSG.
Barcola is an example of where improvement has been made at PSG. Luis Enrique stood by him and played him into form; now he is thriving and has the backing of those on the terraces.
“Confidence plays a big part in my adaptation,” Barcola said. “When I have confidence of my team-mates and my coach, I can only play well.”
His intervention turned Wednesday night into a good one for PSG, even if this was not a performance that will necessarily convince many that they are Champions League contenders.
They still do not look like the team Luis Enrique has set out to build. As coach, he too will require some buy-in and will want to see his ideas play out more visibly. “It doesn’t matter if we lose,” he continued about his words at half-time. “The other day our fans came here to watch us train and they said they wanted us to be brave and it did not matter if we don’t win the Champions League. You have to lose by playing the way you want to. If you lose, it doesn’t matter, people wake up the next day and carry on. That is a part of sport. We have to stay true to ourselves.”
If winning the Champions League is not the be-all and end-all of this new era at PSG, reconciling style and substance is certainly the key task at hand for Luis Enrique. For now, it is still individual talent that is pushing his team forward and as PSG know well, that may only take them so far.
(Top photo: Miguel Medina/AFP)
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