This Saturday evening, Paris Saint-Germain won 1-2 against Lens on Matchday 18 of Ligue 1 2024-2025 at Stade Bollaert. Here are our top and bottom picks from the draw.
Tops –
❤️ Invincibility continues
It was a close call. Lens played a good game, Paris gave themselves a fright. This Parisian team isn’t the most attractive technically speaking. They have visible flaws. Their opponents believe in them.
And yet, in the end, no one can break down PSG. There’s a fierce determination not to lose, and that’s perhaps the good news of the weekend. That said, it’s not very reassuring, as this team seems to play beyond its means when one or two players are not there.
Confidence
Barcola’s confidence is growing again, as we saw when he scored and exulted. Beraldo plays again and was not bad, while Lucas Hernandez continues to go from strength to strength. Ruiz got Paris back on track after a match that was borderline catastrophic at times.
He was able to get back into the game. Another two-faced match, and fortunately the good side always wins out for the time being.
Flops –
😡 The ball burns the feet?
Is it impossible for certain players to get the ball forward? We understood that Lens wanted to counter and hurt us, but at some point, the 10-man pass between Beraldo, Hernandez and Pacho has to stop.
The players played out of character for over an hour, with no one taking the game by the scruff of the neck. We’ve understood that they don’t want to lose the ball, but playing soccer and keeping their opponents off-balance means playing a more direct and risky game.
Playing without a number 9 – A disaster on Saturday
Ramos or no Ramos, you have to understand that PSG’s attacking first half sucked. There was nothing. When a flanker has the ball, there’s nobody in the box. When you need to find a foothold, there’s no one there, which is why Barcola and Doué were up against the defenders. Long-range shots can compensate, but there are never more than 3 or 4 of them.
It’s understandable that Lee is a Luis Enrique darling, but his tasteless performance also shows that the Parisian coach prefers to keep the ball rather than take advantage of it, even if it means taking risks. Yet, as he repeats, the most important thing is to score goals. We can’t always hide behind the result.
