Lucas Moura: Finally Becoming a Superstar at Paris Saint-Germain

Without both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani for Saturday’s home game against Girondins de Bordeaux, Laurent Blanc had to look elsewhere for Paris Saint-Germain’s match winner. It was Brazilian winger Lucas Moura that stepped up to the plate, scoring twice in the 3-0 win, and it finally looks like the 22-year-old is blossoming into a star at the Parc des Princes.

This season, injury problems and this summer’s World Cup has meant that rarely has Blanc been able to pick from a full-strength squad; it may have hampered their early-season form, but a few players have taken advantage of the opportunity.

Javier Pastore has received a lot of praise for his performances, but the same should be offered toward Lucas.

Last season, Lucas was played mostly as a winger. He battled with Ezequiel Lavezzi for a place on the left of PSG’s three-man attack, and for a 21-year-old it wasn’t the most disastrous campaign, but at times he lacked consistency and a cutting edge when it mattered most.

David Vincent/Associated Press

As PSG strode towards their second straight Ligue 1 title, Lucas, according to official league stats, finished with 10 assists. That’s only one less than the mercurial Ibrahimovic. Making Lucas one of PSG’s most creative entities, something that went mostly unnoticed last season.

The biggest criticism towards Lucas last season was his lack of a clinical edge in front of goal. He finished the season with five goals in 36 appearances, averaging a goal every 387 minutes. This season, with the two penalties he scored against Bordeaux on Saturday, he has equalled his tally for last season and the average has dropped to a goal every 150 minutes.

Lucas may not have registered an assist yet this season, but he is playing more minutes per game, and when talking to BeIN Sport this weekend (in French), he described how the increased happiness this season may have led to the improved displays.

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Lucas: "Living in Paris is a dream for me. Playing with such great players & for fans like PSG's, I want to create my history at this club."

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) October 27, 2014"

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Lucas: "Ancelotti is a great coach. I learned a lot from him. He guided me tactically & loved playing a wide style with me on the right."

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) October 27, 2014"

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Lucas: "I am always looking to improve. This season, I am more confident. I am not positioned only on one side like I was under Ancelotti."

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) October 27, 2014"

It’s the last comment that is the most meaningful. Lucas has been given more freedom this season, especially with both Ibrahimovic and Cavani missing a number of games. In recent weeks, Lucas has been allowed to come off the touchline and find space all over the pitch, and the results have been impressive.

Against Caen, Lucas received the ball in the middle of the pitch, then beat two men before smashing the ball past Remy Vercoutre. It was a lovely solo goal and showed just what he is capable of.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

His performance against Barcelona in the Champions League was one of his best. Lucas gave international defender Jordi Alba a horrid time down the right wing, pushing the defender back, and gave PSG a constant outlet to break forward.

It was from the left that he scored the very important goal at home against Monaco, getting on the end of Jean-Christophe Bahebeck’s cross. It showed his licence to roam around the attacking third, finding space wherever it appears.

It was Lucas that scored the opening home goal of the season for PSG. Starting the move in the centre, he then drifted wide left, ghosting into the box to get on the end of Gregory van der Wiel’s excellent cross. Lucas took the chance perfectly, volleying past on-loan PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

Blanc now has some food for thought. It would be too easy to push Lucas back out wide left to continue with the 4-3-3 once Cavani and Ibrahimovic return, but that would be detrimental to Lucas’ improvements this season.

This would be a great chance to partner the two superstar strikers in a two-man attack and allow Lucas to remain in the freer role, letting him find the space behind the strikers—and all three could benefit for his pace and movement.

After missing out on a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad, Lucas is now pushing for a place in Dunga’s new-look squad as they prepare for the Copa America next year. If he continues to impress and develop under Blanc, his current form should be good enough to see a return to the international stage and a starring role in Paris Saint-Germain’s attack.