Mauro Icardi is proving his worth for PSG

Mauro Icardi is enjoying early success with Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG, showing how impactful he can be in the team’s attack.

There has never been any doubt over Mauro Icardi’s prowess as a center-forward or striker. He demonstrated that over his final seasons with Inter Milan, emerging as one of the most efficient goal-scorers in Europe.

Instead, the glaring red flag over Icardi revolved around off-field controversies. Ask any member of the media covering football in Italy and they will tell you about the multitude of stories they covered about Icardi that seemingly had little to do with his on-field performances. Whether it was the array of comments in the media from his wife, Wanda Nara, or the prolonged dispute over the decision to strip him of the team’s captaincy, controversy always seemed to cloud the Argentine’s tenure with Inter.

So, when PSG took a gamble and signed Icardi on loan from Inter on the final day of the summer transfer window, doubt arose as to whether the move may backfire on them. Icardi is an immense goal-scorer; any scout or coach in Europe would concur with this statement. If it came down to talent alone, PSG might have had much more competition in signing him. But this is not the case with Icardi, considering the baggage that came with him and how Inter just could not tolerate it anymore.

Needless to say, Icardi has silenced the critics

Through nine games in all competitions for PSG this season, Icardi has lived up to the hefty expectations of playing for the French powerhouse club. He has scored eight goals in nine games over a total of 628 minutes of playing time — an average of a goal every 78.5 minutes.

While Thomas Tuchel must certainly be pleased with Icardi’s production, the PSG board is also completely satisfied with the fact that no off-field controversies have emerged. The Argentine international has accommodated well to PSG’s play style and seems to enjoy playing with the best players in France. On the other hand, Wanda Nara has stayed away from the public spotlight, which is a major sigh of relief for PSG.

Nonetheless, Icardi’s performances will be what will matter for both sides at the end of the day. And for the most part, PSG must like what they have seen from him so far this season.

Over the nine games for PSG, Icardi has played in Tuchel’s 4-3-3 formation. This is somewhat relatively new for him. While with Inter Milan, he operated under multiple positions but mostly played in the balanced 4-2-3-1 setup. Under Luciano Spalletti, the Argentine was the team’s main target man playing with two wingers and a central attacking midfielder in the attack. However, his tasks for PSG still remain the same as it was with Inter and has been for his entire career: score goals.

Icardi’s early success with PSG through two months has centered on his ability to make the most of his goal-scoring opportunities. Since Tuchel likes to play his fullbacks high up the pitch and use his wingers as ball progressors in the final third, chances will come in abundance for the main center-forward. Just look at Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe last season as a case example and how they were each able to play with such exuberance in the final third due to the high amount of goal-scoring opportunities they received.

In contrast, Icardi has not had the luxury of receiving the same amount of goal-scoring chances as his superstar teammates. Icardi is averaging 3.0 shots per game in Ligue 1 play this season, which ranks third on the team behind Neymar (4.2) and Kylian Mbappe (4.1).

But as mentioned, he is becoming a vital threat in PSG’s attacking due to his ability to make the most of what has been provided to him. The 26-year-old has scored his eight goals this season on 22 shots, which is a fair mark of a 36.3 percent goal conversion.

To reiterate, Icardi’s profound effectiveness to produce at a high rate with such minimal service on a game-by-game basis adds another element to PSG’s high-octane attack. For instance, he scored two goals against Marseille on matchday 11 with a grand total of 15 touches for the entirety of the game. Not only does he convert a good amount of goal-scoring chances, but the Argentine is essentially a striker that finds his way in being at the right place and at the right time. He can make decisive off-ball movements in the box and anticipate just when to make a run to receive an incoming pass from a teammate.

This was perfectly illustrated in his home Champions League goal against Club Brugge. Not only was his movement to drift into the six-yard box crucial to the creation of the goal-scoring chance but of course, his precise technique to create space away from the defender and finish the chance made it all happen as well.

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Despite his early success, there is still room for improvement as to how he orchestrates play as the team’s main striker. First and foremost, Icardi could bolster PSG’s attack by involving himself more in the team’s build-up. He currently does not factor much into the team’s progression from the middle third to the final third because those duties are primarily handled by the fullbacks and midfielders such as Marco Verratti. Instead, Icardi hovers the space upfront and remains there as the team’s target man, which is why he is averaging a low 16.0 touches per game.

Perhaps with a more willingness from Icardi to move out of his zone upfront and drop deep to provide a passing option would, as a result, help make PSG’s attack be even more complex for defenses to handle. And let’s face it: Icardi will not be averaging almost goal in every game. With Mbappe back in the fold and Neymar soon returning from injury, the bulk of the team’s goals will be widely shared amongst the three as it did when Cavani was the team’s main striker. Inevitably, there will be games where Icardi does not take a shot or struggles when in possession of the ball.

So, it is ideal for Tuchel to have Icardi play a much larger role in the team’s build-up upfield. He can drop deep into open pockets of space or use his mobility to become a deep-lying playmaker to complement the wingers adjacent to him. Sure, this kind of rigorous role is not something Icardi is accustomed to nor has he ever played in such a setup where anything other than being a target man goal-scorer is required from him. But Tuchel should look to extrapolate his role with PSG in order to add an extra layer to the team’s build-up.

The other notable facet of Icardi’s game that could use some polishing is his defending. Many managers do not look to their strikers to constantly drop deep to defend. For example, a team playing out of a 4-3-3 — PSG’s current formation under Tuchel — typically defends in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 with the striker on the team having a substantially low responsibility to press or defend.

However, if Icardi truly wants to follow in Cavani’s footsteps and become PSG’s next superstar striker, then it is of high importance that the Argentine begins to will his way to defend. By doing so, he would be able to relieve the pressure off of both Mbappe and Neymar when PSG are out of possession in their 4-4-2 setup. Thus, one of the two may be able to focus more on positioning in order to put themselves in a good spot on the pitch for quick transitions or counter-attacks when PSG are able to win the ball back.

A committed and focused Icardi is what PSG hoped to get and that is exactly what they are getting after two months. The Argentine international is quickly becoming one of the most revered attackers in France. There are not many strikers that can strike fear into defenses, but Icardi is on the horizon of reaching this level of dominance in Europe.

In the big picture, Icardi knows that he must keep up his current form through the rest of the season because his future lies on it. PSG signed him on loan and while the hope is for the French club to trigger his €70 million buy option next summer, nothing is guaranteed. Icardi could very well end up back with Inter Milan and once again on the lookout for a new club if PSG is not pleased with his overall performances. And to add to the pressure, Cavani is not completely out of Tuchel’s tactical plans and could very well end up back in the starting 11 if Icardi begins to slip up.

For now, Icardi is proving his value to PSG while showcasing just how much of a dynamic goal-scorer he can be for the club.