Last week, after a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain saw the light of day in the Champions League this season. Unexpectedly, Paris, which returned to Ligue 1, was hit in the head. Facing Nantes, seventh in Ligue 1, Paris fell behind by three goals in the first half, and even if the team fought back frantically in the second half, it still failed to turn the situation around. In the end, Paris lost 3-1. Judging from this game, the reason for the team's loss is still in the midfield. Moreover, this reason is likely to become a "dead hole" for Paris to miss the Champions League again this season! Unless Paris's luck is so good that it can't meet a strong opponent.
Against Nantes, Paris coach Pochettino sent Geye and Wijnaldum to the starting lineup for rotation. However, in the game, the performance of Geye and Wijnaldum was embarrassing. Wijnaldum, in particular, as a midfield barrier behind Messi, his performance is flattering him with the word bad. Not only was Vernadum unable to exert his power in attack, but also in defence, he did not take on his due responsibilities. What's more, after repeatedly rushing to the front court, I also have to let Messi help make up the defense! As for Geyer, despite his positive attitude, the midfielder's ball, as well as his control, are difficult to reassure Paris. It is worth mentioning that this is a big microcosm of the Paris midfield.
In the Paris squad, there are indeed many midfielders. It includes Geye, Wijnaldum, Paredes, Verratti, Herrera, Pereira and others, but apart from Verratti's ability to pass forward and support the front, it is difficult to describe. Even the slightly better Paredes is mostly defensive, while people like Herrera, Wijnaldum, and Geye are predominantly inserted. In the case of the Front of Paris, the attack and defense are unbalanced, and with a few midfielders who like to insert themselves, the team's defense is really resigned to fate. In possession, the Paris midfield cannot give forward support; defensively, it cannot relieve the front's worries. It can be said that the uncontrollable midfield has become the fatal weakness of Paris.
In fact, as early as the match with Real Madrid, in order to maintain the balance of attack and defense, Paris coach Pochettino specially sent Pereira and Paredes with better defensive ability. It turned out that when the two were paired with Verratti, the team's midfield was indeed able to maintain its hardness, killing Real Madrid's counterattack in the cradle. However, even if Pochettino did so much, Paris only did a good job of defending, and was still criticized on the offensive end. Once there is no Villati, Paris can only rely on Messi when attacking, and Neymar retreats to take the ball. This is a huge loss for Paris.
The retracement means that Messi and Neymar's physical strength will be more depleted in the midfield, and with the strength of the two of them, the threat when approaching the box will undoubtedly be much greater. Especially Messi, compared with Neymar, Messi's age is older, and physical fitness is a big problem. Nowadays, many times Messi wants to get the ball, he has to return to the midfield, which makes his strength greatly reduced. Fortunately, as a midfielder, Messi's strength is still top-notch. With most of the midfielders in Paris embarrassed, Paris wants to win in the Champions League, and in addition to a certain amount of good luck, it may all depend on Messi to be threatening. As long as Messido forward to deliver shells for Mbappe and Neymar, Paris may be able to fight bayern, Chelsea and Manchester City!