Three takeaways from Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Chelsea
By Ryan Wrenn
Paris Saint-Germain ascending
If PSG fans could ignore the precedent of a seemingly commanding home win for just a moment, they might be able to appreciate just how impressive this performance was. For years the club has been just on the periphery of Europe’s top outfits, always falling short compared to the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. This season, however, has felt like a coming out party. They have been beaten precisely once in all competitions this term – to Real Madrid, predictably – and hold a staggering 24 point lead in France’s Ligue 1. This is a team that can make it deep in this competition, perhaps even all the way.
Coach Laurent Blanc is able to call upon a tremendous amount of class as he aims for the Champions League trophy, the only piece of silverware that has eluded him during his time a the club. It’s telling that while Zlatan Ibrahimović started the match and first took the lead for the home side off a free-kick in the first half, it was Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani who came in to the game off the bench late to score the winner. This is a level of depth that should provoke envy even from those in the upper echelon of the sport to which PSG aspire.
The full breadth of that talent was on full display at seemingly every area of the pitch Tuesday. While Ibrahimović orchestrated the attack, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi combined to make another case for being among the better midfield teams in Europe. Centre-back Thiago Silva limited Diego Costa to only three shots the entire game, while the rest of Chelsea’s attack was similarly stifled by a suffocating PSG backline. Blanc might have hoped for a goal or two more, but otherwise it was hard to find an area of weakness in this side.
Next: Surprises and absences