Former Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina attacking midfielder Javier Pastore was asked by Le Parisien to give his opinion on PSG’s current attacking force, which includes Désiré Doué (19), Bradley Barcola (22), Ousmane Dembélé (27) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (24). He loves the fact that they’re complicated to read, and elected his favorite with the former and his Neymar-like looks.
Pastore “We don’t really understand where they play.”
“One word to define them?
Monstrous. Quite simply, it’s a monstrous attack. Dembélé, Doué, Barcola and Kvaratskhelia are very young players with exceptional individual quality for their age. What’s striking is that they all score.
They take it in turns to make the team win. If it’s not Doué, it’s Dembélé, if it’s not Dembélé, it’s Barcola or Kvara. They can make the difference thanks to their speed and dribbling, and at the same time, they help the team a lot in the defensive phase. For a team, it’s incredible to have four players of this talent and to see them making the defensive effort.
What blows you away the most?
The fact that they’re unpredictable. They change position all the time. (…) You don’t really understand where they’re playing, but in the end, they always make the difference. The coach has found a system that allows him to change players and still be effective.
Pastore “has his head in the game and that’s the most important thing.”
Is there a player in particular who amazes you?
Gifted, he blows me away…I like him a lot. (…) He plays every game, he scores incredible goals. I really like his personality. He believes a lot in what he does, in his game.
I see a lot of similarities with Neymar, he has similar technical moves. And he’s so physically strong… That allows him to change pace and win duels. He puts in 90 minutes of effort. He never stops.
He still has a lot of things to explore, things he might not even imagine. But he’s got his head in the game, and that’s the most important thing.”
Indeed, PSG is very interesting in its ability to diversify its attacking style. If there’s a bit of space, everyone can go deep and the attacking zone can vary. It depends mainly on the situation, whereas there are a lot of permutations and everyone is capable of playing in space in order to finish afterwards.
But we’ve also seen real technical ability to create when faced with a low block, or to strike from distance. Doué and Kvaratkshelia in particular, but Barcola and Dembélé are also dangerous. Not forgetting the other players in the squad (Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz…). In addition, Gonçalo Ramos (23) adds to the team’s qualities, particularly in the air.
It took a lot of work to achieve this fluidity, and there’s still more to come. It’s a pity that some people were so sceptical and acted as if everything made sense today. Perhaps this will teach coaches and players to take their time.
Like Doué, who was quickly decried after his arrival at PSG. His transfer had already become a mistake for both parties. Today, this idea has been dispelled, and in the media it’s stressed that it’s only natural that he should make his mark at PSG. His qualities were clear, as was his potential in this team.
We had to give him time to adapt. Now, he can make the most of his technique, with moves that sometimes bear a striking resemblance to Neymar. But every player is different. The young Frenchman undoubtedly has more power. And still has a lot to achieve, as Pastore points out.
