How PSG went down and let City take over

At the Parc des Princes,

Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain contradicted two received ideas. The first was that the Skyblues were mentally fragile and rarely able to reverse a game - twice in a row they won 2-1 in C1 after being led anyway. The second, that the beautiful European evenings of the PSG always extend over 90 minutes when the first feelings are good. This was particularly the case in Barcelona and Munich. Not on Wednesday, where the Pochettino players were let down by their recent good habits in C1. The question of why and how of the flash shipwreck inevitably arises. Because we must admit that we did not see everything coming from the top of our perch in the Parc des Princes.

First of all, and no offense to the bad faith of Riyad Mahrez (according to him, "we did not see a very large Paris in the first period either. They were not so dangerous"), the Parisians had the perfect first period.

Apart from a thrill on the first catch from Bernardo Silva on the right side and a big gift from Foden to Keylor Navas just before the break, the Citizens had nothing to eat.

Worse, they especially shone with their ability to avoid the penalty area like a handball team would, a misery that the beauty of the permutations and the overall choreography were not enough to hide.

Of the interest of having the ball

Paris is then perfectly in place. Everyone defends, starting with the two lazy people in front who surprise us cutting passing lines in the central circle to better project themselves. A job even better executed by the three midfielders, whose field coverage is immense. Either to cover the corridors abandoned by Neymar and - more rarely - Di Maria, or to cover the central defenders when they ventured higher on the relaunch. The pace imposed by City is slow, Paris is in an armchair, succeeds in everything he does in the middle and, crowning with success, ends the first period with barely less possession than the English.

"We had concerns to keep the ball", will also concede Pep Guardiola in the post-match conference about this first half.

“Then it was better at all levels.

We played better with and without the ball.

We wanted to be patient and dangerous.

"

Mauricio Pochettino also supports the idea that everything was played on the ability - then the inability - of the Parisians to question the opposing hegemony in the game. “Our approach to the game was very good, we managed to dominate.

But afterwards, we do not manage to keep the same intensity with the ball.

It is difficult to determine when this "after" begins.

For Guardiola, it takes root at the end of the first period.

For Poche, by the hour of play. Our impression tilts more on the Argentinian side.

Running behind the baballe, it wears out

Because if it is true that the Parisian block quickly retreated on the return from the locker room, there was nothing to cry out to the sky blue threat before the crappy goal of Kevin de Bruyne. Riyad Mahrez said it himself after having rediscovered a semblance of intellectual honesty: "We are lucky on both goals, even my free kick goes between two players". “Even if we had difficulties in other games, we were stronger, we did not take goals. Today we take two really stupid goals ”, regretted Marquinhos at the microphone of RMC Sport. Did Paris have the physical means to resist another half an hour in the face of City's rise to power? Mbappé's legs seem to say no and the Parisian captain assumes the same thing with half a word. Difficult according to him, to run behind the ball and play immediately afterwards.

School case with Di Maria, two minutes before the equalizer: Fideo tears off to recover a ball not far from its surface, but the projection that follows is bad, and the ball deep for Mbappé is easily anticipated by Ederson.

“We had difficulty playing deeper and preventing the opposing team from playing deeper,” confirms Pochettino.

The more time advanced, the faster the ball returned to the Parisian defense.

Like against Bayern, you might say.

Less than against Bayern, even.

It is no coincidence that both goals are scored from outside the area.

And if Keylor Navas hadn't fallen asleep on De Bruyne's strike, we might be talking about the Parisian victory or a draw.

"It's football", philosopher Mahrez.

The explanation may be that simple.

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