On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain took on Monaco at the Stade Louis II in an advanced match on Matchday 16 of the Ligue 1 2024-2025. After a match in which the Red and Blue fought hard, against Monaco and against the opposing elements, they won 2-4 (Monaco/PSG video summary). Here are our notes on the Parisians.
Goal –
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Not rated) – Replaced by Matvey Safonov (4) – Some doubts when it came to the ball at foot. He had no real work to do towards the end of the first half. He was not at his best for Monaco’s second goal and did not have the game of the year.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (7) – What health. He never stops attacking. It was he who made the decisive pass in the first half, once again. Another good game from him.
Marquinhos (5) – Did a good job in the first half. Unfortunately, he made a big mistake on Monaco’s first goal before conceding the penalty. At this level, he can’t make that kind of connection…
Willian Pacho (6) – He’s strong in duels and defends well. Pacho was back with a lot of concentration and power. He was caught by Embolo for the second goal, so he needs to get in front.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (7) – First in midfield, then at left-back, he didn’t hesitate to get forward. He’s a Swiss Army knife under the radar. He does a lot of work in the background, but he wears down opponents. He played a good match.
Midfielders –
Joao Neves (6) – A decent first half. We didn’t see too much of him offensively, even after his substitution. He needs to put in a bit more on his final touches. Replaced by Lucas Hernandez in the 66th minute.
Vitinha (6) – A metronome in midfield, he lost little of the ball, played well and often looked forward. A good first half. He was equally accurate in the second half, but didn’t shine as much as he should have.
Fabian Ruiz (5) – Another average first half. His passes weren’t strong enough and he often played out wide. He didn’t provide what was needed.
Forwards –
Ousmane Dembélé (8) – A fairly neutral first half from such a player. He did, however, accelerate at times. He scored like a fox in the box, but in the end his game took on a different aspect. Even more so when he scored the 4th goal with a cool head.
Désiré Doué (7) – One good performance after another. He’s hurting people and has been virtually unstoppable in the last few minutes on the pitch. He scores, he has chances, he plays the game. A little less selfless in the second half, or at least less inspired, he was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 80th minute.
Bradley Barcola (5) – Had his chances, but always the same dribbling style, rather legible and not very effective. Another fairly average game from him. Replaced by Lee Kang-in in the 66th minute.
Entraîneur –
Luis Enrique (7) – He raised Barcola’s game last year, and Doué seems to be experiencing the same rise this year. You’ve got to hand it to him, though, as some of the players have gone from strength to strength with him. He again played without a number 9 and without a professional left-back. That wasn’t too obvious in the first half. His team fell apart a bit at the start of the second half. He found it hard to get his men to play for 90 minutes. However, it was a serious match and another away win.
