At the Parc des Princes,
For all this time, we don’t really know where the puppets of the “Guignols de l’Info” have been stored, but we would like to bring out, for the occasion, that of Guy Roux. In reference to the relative stinginess of the former coach and master of life of AJ Auxerre, the puppet of the Guignols kept repeating “Don’t waste it”. An expression that could easily be brought out to the Paris Saint-Germain players this Thursday morning after the match against Liverpool.
So, yes, the Parisians did most of the work at the Parc des Princes, winning the Champions League quarter-final first leg very convincingly (2-0). But they could have already been two feet and two hands into the semi-final if they hadn’t wasted the string of chances they had against the puppet Reds. “We left Liverpool alive,” Achraf Hakimi even regretted speaking to Canal+ after the match.
Ousmane Dembélé’s big failures
“Alive” is the right word, because in addition to the goals from Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Parisians could well have added four or five more goals with more realism. Starting with Ousmane Dembélé. The Ballon d’Or alone, which has nevertheless had a string of incredible goals in recent weeks, was missed in the face of Mamardashvili’s goal when all he had to do was finish: a soft shot in the Georgian’s gloves (42nd), a single recovery from the penalty spot which flew into the Boulogne corner (54th), a shot on the post (87th)…
The Reds goalkeeper, who is usually a substitute, also made big saves against the two scorers of the evening (32nd, 37th). “I hope these saves will be crucial (for the return match),” said Reds captain Virgil Van Dijk in the mixed zone. Add to all these occasions a shot from João Neves on the side (44th), a penalty not whistled on Nuno Mendes at the end of the match (90th + 1) and a big mix-up from the Portuguese on a service from Achraf Hakimi against (89th) and you have a summary of the clumsiness of the Parisians in front of the English goal.
« There is always an element of satisfaction when we win 2-0, but we are also a little frustrated with all the clear chances we had, admitted Warren Zaire-Emery. It’s better to go to Anfield with three or four (goals in advance). »
Paris in danger at Anfield?
So, with “only” two goals ahead before crossing the Channel next week, can Luis Enrique’s men fear that lightning will strike them at Anfield. In view of the insipid match of the Reds on Wednesday evening, we would be firm: impossible. But, as the players in football keep repeating in bland interviews, “in football, anything is possible”. And it’s not Arne Slot who will say the opposite.
“I saw that Atlético went to beat Barcelona 0-2, because of a red card,” explained Liverpool’s Dutch coach. In football, red cards, incidents, penalties, yes or no… Don’t forget that Anfield can do a lot. After the away match against Galatasaray (lost 1-0, in the round of 16), I was sitting in front of you (the journalists) and you were not very optimistic about our match either. A week later, at Anfield, we played probably the best game of the season. »
We can already imagine the disaster scenario for PSG next Tuesday: a You’ll Never Walk Alone caught like never before, Matveï Safonov who misses a kick, Marquinhos who starts to tremble, Pacho who makes a bad tackle and all the red people who go into a trance… “I think that if we want to exert really aggressive pressure, the supporters can be a great help,” added Slot. A noisy atmosphere can give you that little extra that you sometimes need. »
The memory of Liverpool-Barça
The advantage is that the Parisians, in the vast majority, know what the little and big guys from Mersey are up to, having met them last season in the round of 16, even if the scenario was different and Paris had to catch up a little. But the start of the match was totally to the advantage of the English, who could have led, before Ousmane Dembélé cooled things down a bit.
“What we are sure of is that it will be very difficult,” assures Luis Enrique. Going to play at Anfield, I’ve done it many times as a player and coach, it’s always complicated. There will be pain in this match. » Asked if the atmosphere at Anfield could disturb his players, the Spaniard replied in the negative: “You have to go to any stadium and face any team to win the match and qualify. We don’t think about defending a result, that’s not our way of seeing football. »
A philosophy appreciated by the English media, quite disappointed by the level displayed by Liverpool on Wednesday evening, but who still remained hopeful for the return match. With a very present memory in mind: the comeback against Barça in 2019, after conceding a 3-0 in Catalonia. There too, a certain Ousmane Dembélé had harvested the sheet with a huge opportunity wasted at the end of the match. The return to Anfield was terrible for the Catalans (4-0), caught in the English washing machine. Paris knows what to expect.
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