On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced Manchester City at the Parc des Princes as part of matchday 7 of the Champions League 2024-2025 league phase. After a match in which the Rouge et Bleu played a huge game overall, winning 4-2 after trailing 0-2 (video summary PSG/Manchester City). Here are our notes on the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Gianluigi Donnarumma (6.5) – Very clean first half, both on his feet and in his saves. Couldn’t do much about City’s two goals. He put them off for a long time. It’s worth noting that his footwork was very good.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (7.5) – As usual, he was very good. He brings a lot of personality to PSG. Scored a goal, albeit from an offside trap, but showed his character once again in this match.
Marquinhos (6.5) – A first half without too many problems. The Paris captain was good, but not the best. He did, however, play higher up the pitch in the second half.
Willian Pacho (6.5) – Good in duels, a little slow, but held up well overall in the first half. Still, he kept Haaland at bay for the most part.
Nuno Mendes (6) – When he decides to get forward, it’s often dangerous. He’s so strong at times, but capable of some really shoddy relaunching. He had a period of doubt which penalized the team greatly.
Midfielders –
Fabian Ruiz (6.5) – Great first half, grabbing balls and playing well. He was less present in the second half. Replaced by Warren Zaïre-Emery in the 61st minute.
Vitinha (7.5) – Regulated the game in the first half. Vitinha is back to his best, but he also needs to play more offensively. The Portuguese has often been criticized for being too small and not robust enough, but he brings something completely different to what Luis Enrique demands.
Joao Neves (10) – When he plays like this (first half), he clearly has the makings of a great player. A harasser, he constantly pushed the Citizens into technical fouls. He covers a large part of the pitch. His returns were impeccable. What energy. With him, PSG is progressing in its character, in the way it approaches the high points and low points of matches. A ParisFans favorite, he was enormous in this match.
Forwards –
Lee Kang-in (5) – Neither great nor bad, his first half was pretty typical. He’s got the ball and knows how to keep it, but he’s too soft in duels. Replaced by Ousmane Dembélé at half-time (8) – He made a fine entrance in the middle of the park and got PSG back into the game.
Désiré Doué (7) – The most accurate and dangerous striker in the first half. He had a little dip in the first half, but above all he tried to play fairly. Defensively, he added to the midfield’s numbers on the break. Before going off, he hit the bar, allowing Barcola to score, another great performance from him. Replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 61st minute.
Bradley Barcola (7.5) – Difficult to judge his first half. He was decent, but lacked what makes him such an outstanding player: provocation with speed. We never saw him outrun his opposite number. He was better in the second half, providing both assists and goals, and totally revitalized his season and the Paris match. Replaced by Lucas Hernandez in the 81st minute.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (9) – He did what he wanted with his team. He takes responsibility for the game against the big boys in this LDC. He doesn’t hesitate to make choices. He’s been criticized, but whatever people say, the club is progressing. His choices have been pertinent. He has transformed the face of PSG. He’s remained calm and we can congratulate him on his work.
