On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in the 8th round of the Champions League 2024-2025. After a match in which the Rouge et Bleu clearly dominated, they won 1-4 (video highlights Stuttgart/PSG). Here are our notes on the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Gianluigi Donnarumma (7) – An impeccable first half. Could do nothing about Stuttgart’s goal.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (6.5) – Perhaps a little less inspired in the first half. He doesn’t seem quite 100%, but even so, he’s still a machine making runs to hurt the opposition. Replaced by Fabian Ruiz in the 70th minute.
Marquinhos (6.5) – Nothing to complain about in his first half, he played his role as first-choice relauncher to perfection.
Willian Pacho (6) – A little slow at times, but a real talent in duels and anticipation. Not blameless in the Stuttgart goal.
Lucas Hernandez (6.5) – A reassuring half for him, given his physique. He headed the ball in and made sure it got through. Replaced in the 70th minute by Lucas Beraldo.
Midfield –
Joao Neves (7) – Untiring, running all the time, blocking all the opposition’s chances. Another great game from him. Replaced in the 77th minute by Senny Mayulu.
Vitinha (7.5) – A true master of time, he plays just right. He knows when to slow the game down and when to speed it up, as he did for PSG’s second goal.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (7) – More discreet than his acolytes, he is nonetheless invaluable in his work on the pitch. He makes an impact.
Attackers –
Ousmane Dembélé (9) – He’s starting to look scary with all these goals. His second of the evening was beautiful, well delivered and powerful. Another fine performance from him in the first half.
Désiré Doué (7.5) – A great first half, technically and physically. He brought some attacking magic with his laser passes. His decisive pass was exquisite for Barcola’s goal. Replaced by Lee Kang-in in the 60th minute.
Bradley Barcola (8) – He hasn’t been the same for two or three weeks. He’s scoring and getting goals, especially in the Champions League, where he used to be criticized. Replaced in the 70th minute by Gonçalo Ramos.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (8) – What can I say about Luis Enrique, except that he plays his team perfectly well. Who can say today (and even months ago) that his PSG is not competitive? He’s making progress with every match, as he often announces at the start of the season. He asks a lot of his men, but that’s what top-level football is all about.
