In the sky of the Parc des Princes, many are the stars to have settled since 2011 and the change of dimension of the club of the capital. Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Mbappé have been, in ten years, the most brilliant of all. But Messi has no equal on the football planet.
Three days after the announcement of the failure of negotiations with FC Barcelona for a contract extension, the Argentinian chose the club of the capital to continue his career. A two-year contract plus one optional was signed on the evening of Tuesday, August 10.
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A 4-2-3-1 to “save” Di Maria?
The Parisian locker room welcomes an additional superstar, who will have to make room. In the field, what could that look like?
Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappé, Messi. Can Mauricio Pochettino fulfill the fantasy of all Parisian supporters and line up the fantastic four in a starting eleven? In a 4-2-3-1 system, the team’s balance would tilt sharply forward. The animation could work around Messi in No.10, with Neymar and Di Maria on the wings and Kylian Mbappé positioned at the forefront. But other hypotheses exist.
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This is what the animation of Paris Saint-Germain could look like in a 4-2-3-1. © Ouest-France / Canva
A 4-3-3, with good memories of the MSN?
The option of a 4-3-3 could also be interesting and would allow to reconstitute, except for one element, the triplet MSN, which had won the Champions League with Barça in 2015. Kylian Mbappé taking the place of Luis Suarez in the axis, while Lionel Messi and Neymar would occupy the sides on the front of the attack. An animation that would allow these three to swap at will.
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In a 4-3-3 system, Angel Di Maria would be relegated to the bench. © Ouest-France / Canva
In this system, Messi and Neymar would tend to go inside, which would require very offensive full-backs. Good thing, PSG did what was necessary during this transfer window to compensate for its shortcomings in defense. Achraf Hakimi, on the right flank, has already shown during the preparation the contribution that could be his. The Moroccan constitutes the ideal contribution in such a system. On the other side, Juan Bernat, freed from his serious knee injury, should resume his place in the left lane.
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Achraf Hakimi has already scored his first goal in official competition with PSG, Saturday night, on the occasion of the Parisians’ victory in Troyes (1-2). © REUTERS
Only problem with this system, difficult to install Di Maria. The Argentine’s only option would be to take a place in the middle three. What he has already done at Real Madrid. A system that would offer an eleven too unbalanced, at least during Champions League meetings.
By leaving Di Maria on the bench, Mauricio Pochettino could concoct a more “natural” midfielder. In a 4-3-3, Idrissa Gueye would act as a sentry, with Marco Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum in front of him.
Another solution in a 4-3-3, install Messi in false n ° 9, and reposition Mbappé on one side. However, this option is clearly not the favorite of the French world champion.
Finally, there remains the possibility of installing a three-way defense, with Hakimi and Bernat in piston to occupy the corridors. A hypothesis which offered the possibility of installing three central defenders, and therefore to make room immediately for Sergio Ramos.
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In a 3-5-2 system, Sergio Ramos could integrate the eleven, alongside Marquinhos and Kimpembe. © Ouest-France / Canva
Can the abundance of goods harm PSG?
This may be the biggest risk for Paris Saint-Germain. Despite a workforce with XXL offensive potential, Mauricio Pochettino will have to ensure to maintain a certain balance in his animation, especially on the European scene. If the Argentinian technician wants to align the maximum number of stars in his starting XI, they will have to participate actively in the defensive work when the Parisians will not have the ball.
Often singled out for not making enough efforts in this direction in the past, Mbappé and Neymar will be joined by another player known to count his efforts when his team no longer has the ball.
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In the defensive phase, the solution could be that one of the three – Mbappé, Messi or Neymar – sacrifices himself to take place in a line of four players in the midfield. This would allow the Parisians to go to 4-4-2 with a compact block.
Everything will depend above all on the willingness of the three stars to get their hands dirty. On paper, Mauricio Pochettino will have the most talented workforce in Europe. For the technician, the challenge will be to transform this abundance of goods into an abundance of goals and victories.
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