This Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced FC Espaly at the Stade Marcel-Michelin in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France 2024-2025. After a match in which the Rouge et Bleu made too many mistakes, they nevertheless won 2-4 (see Espaly/PSG video highlights). Here are our notes on the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Arnau Tenas (2) – Didn’t have much to do…and those were goals. He was completely out of his depth (and a little strangely so) on the 1st, and did a poor job of keeping out the shot on the second.
Defenders –
Yoram Zague (4) – Not a “bad” match, but still not very good. We’d known him to be more relevant in his runs, which were marred by offside errors. The fact that he hadn’t played for a long time may have weighed on him… Replaced at half-time by Nuno Mendes (6), he multiplied his runs in order to contribute offensively, finally delivering the decisive cross for the 2-3.
Axel Tape (4) – Some fine passes and good interventions, but also a big mistake for the 2nd goal conceded. Replaced in the 71st minute by Willian Pacho.
Lucas Hernandez (6) – In a PSG game that was sometimes too shaky, he was often solid.
João Neves (6.5) – In a timid PSG, he was invaluable with his efforts and some excellent passes. Including the penultimate 1-2.
Midfielders –
Fabian Ruiz (4) – A few good passes, but more was expected of the Spanish international. Replaced at half-time by Vitinha (7), his entrance did a lot of good in terms of rhythm and passing to create chances.
Senny Mayulu (4,5) – A few incisive moves, but not enough for a PSG side that needed to score. Replaced at half-time by Lee Kang-In (3), a few fine passes, but also the slide that led to the loss of the ball for the 2nd goal conceded.We expect more from him in terms of creativity.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (5.5) – Always serious, we’d like to see him be a little more creative with his passing and shooting. But he did score the equaliser at 1-1 with his left foot.
Forwards –
Désiré Doué (5,5) – Provided a little pep and scored in a match where PSG lacked inspiration.
Gonçalo Ramos (4.5) – Made a lot of calls that deserved better, but in the end he couldn’t make enough impact and get the goals. At least he makes room for his team-mates and never forgets to defend.
Bradley Barcola (5.5) – Inspirations, an assist and a goal, except that he’s also garbage.A lack of confidence. Let’s hope the late goal does him some good.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (5) – It makes sense to rotate the team for this match, but the team still needs to master its game. For example, the goalkeeper’s management wasn’t very convincing. But there’s qualification.
