Mauro Icardi jumped into the air with the whole Parisian bench when Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting delivered PSG in extra time for the quarter-final against Atalanta Bergamo (2-1). A much less visible joy on the face of the Argentinian when he goes to greet his opponents and congratulate himself with his partners after the final whistle. The Parisian center forward knew better than anyone that he had missed out on his match. On the lawn of the Luz stadium, the Parisian n ° 18 was ghostly during the 79 minutes spent in the field.
"His teammates had trouble finding him because none of his calls were really sharp, his movements too difficult to read", annoys Stéphane Guivarc'h, the center forward of the 1998 world champions. With Neymar, they always seemed to play at a different tempo, their exchanges often being out of tune. Either way, they've been too limited. The Brazilian sent only four passes to Icardi who only gave him two, according to official UEFA statistics. Between Icardi and Pablo Sarabia, his accomplice in the attack, it's even worse. The two men did not exchange a single ball, Icardi not being able to be quick enough to cut the only center that the Spaniard sent him (41st).
In total, all of his teammates found him only fifteen times for an accounting record of a single attempt at goal. Not framed. "He seemed embarrassed by this system and this new configuration," said Patrice Loko, the former striker for PSG and the France team. Maybe he is also physically paying for the Covid cut. With Mbappé's return to the semi-finals, he will benefit from more freedom and space. He's better in a 4-4-2 system with a player circling around him and boys like Neymar and Di Maria bringing danger to the sides. Against Atalanta, he seemed very lonely in front and when he was dezoning, there was no one in line. "
"It would be a mistake to take him out of the team"
This new poor performance calls out after two meetings already missed in the cup finals against Saint-Etienne (1-0) and Lyon (0-0; 6-5 at the tabs). Not enough, however, to lose the confidence of his trainer. "For me, he's a guy who is never afraid, who can always score who is reliable tactically and defensively," Thomas Tuchel assured before the match against Atalanta. It's going to be important that he shows his personality, that he shows that he's a guy who can fight in important matches. "
It is once again a failure and this is perhaps where the shoe pinches. Mauro Icardi, recruited definitively by PSG at the end of May for 50 million euros (+ 8 bonus) rarely shone in very high level matches. In Lisbon, Mauro Icardi played his 13th Champions League match of his career but the first in a knockout meeting, he who had remained on the Paris bench during the two meetings against Dortmund. In the Europa League, he had played four with Inter Milan without ever scoring a goal. A lack of experience at a very high level while he has never participated in a final phase of an international competition with Argentina (8 selections, one goal).
Should this lack of oxygen when the high peaks loom push Thomas Tuchel to deprive himself of it this Tuesday when it comes time to get the ticket for the final? " No ! He is a striker used to scoring, he is too valuable in the penalty area provided that the team plays on his qualities, ”says Patrice Loko. If he praises “his undeniable qualities as finishers”, Stéphane Guivarc'h calls him on the other hand to “offer more solutions to his teammates”. The world champion even sees a future for him… at Choupo-Moting: “It would be a mistake to take him out of the team. He is able to surpass after this bad game, his partners have to help him there and he can become the hero of the semi-final. "
