This Sunday, we do not know whether to congratulate Lorient or blame Paris. Finally we still have a little idea. Because PSG has certainly qualified for the knockout stages of the Coupe de France after its 1-0 victory in Brittany, but the French champion delivered Sunday evening at Le Moustoir a performance very far from the standards of its last boxes. And until the end, he passed a few cold sweats to his ultras who found nothing better than to crack a few smoke bombs to warm up.
Thomas Tuchel had however taken care to establish at least one frame per line and even two in attack with the presence of Di Maria and Icardi. Unfortunately for Paris, the first was not a great evening. And when the Fideo is not at the level, you should not count on Draxler or Paredes to take up game on their own.
Pablo Sarabia, author of the 4000th goal of PSG, did not fly over the debates but he at least had the merit of offering the victory ten minutes from the end and to persevere. Technique and creativity were (often, not always) in the camp opposite and in the feet of the young Enzo Le Fée. The attacking midfielder selected for the France U20 team enjoyed more than the three Parisians mentioned above, depressed at least for the first two.
Players touching their glass ceiling
You will never say how ordinary this team can become again when it finds itself deprived of its stars and inspirers of game that are Neymar, Mbappé and Verratti. The injuries of the French then the Brazilian had highlighted at the start of the season their influence on Parisian play, and the inability of the liners to take over. This trip to Brittany further demonstrated the limits of these players who touch their glass ceiling as soon as they are called upon to take responsibility.
We can always pretend a lack of rhythm and automatisms, which is not wrong. We must also give Draxler satisfaction with an incisive overflow at the hour of play which should certainly have resulted in a penalty for a hand of Fontaine not sanctioned by the referee Karim Abed. But it is too little in an evening when Paris fortunately knew how to raise its head (a little) in the second half to regain possession of the ball and create three opportunities, one of which hit the mark.
The account is there since the club of the capital is always qualified in all the competitions and that Tuchel did not need to throw Neymar and Mbappé on a lawn which called the injury. But it will take another Paris to worry Reims on Wednesday at Auguste-Delaune and propel themselves into the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. With its stars, and perhaps Verratti injured yesterday, there is no doubt that PSG will find its superb.
The match sheet
Lorient-PSG: 0-1
Half-time: 0-0.
Spectators: 14,000.
Referee: Mr. Abed.
Goal: Sarabia (80th).
Warning. PSG: Paredes (64th).
Lorient: Nardi - Hergault, Laporte, Saunier, Fontaine, Le Goff (cap.) - Cabot (Laurienté, 85th), Abergel, Le Fée, Wissa (Kitala, 84th) - Hamel (Lecoeuche, 78th). Entr. : Pelissier.
PSG: Rico - Dagba, Thiago Silva (cap.), Diallo, Kurzawa - Di Maria (Herrera, 85th), Gueye, Paredes (Choupo-Moting, 73rd), Draxler - Sarabia, Icardi. Entr. : Tuchel.