How Angel Di Maria Will Affect the Future Formation of Paris Saint-Germain
Angel Di Maria’s proposed move from Manchester United to Paris Saint-Germain, as per the latest report from France Football (h/t talkSPORT), has been ongoing since last summer, but finally it looks like the Ligue 1 champions are close to landing their man.
"PSG, I think they had a money problem and they couldn’t buy players," Di Maria said in an interview with French broadcaster Telefoot (h/t the Daily Mail). "This is the main reason I didn’t go there. Playing in the French league would please a lot of players.
"Now I’m in the English league. But you never know, there is a lot of movements in football. You can never predict where you’re going to play."
After a positive and bright start to his career at Old Trafford—scoring three and adding 10 assists—the majority of his play was lacklustre and inconsistent, and although Louis van Gaal has made noises regarding keeping the Argentine at the club, reports suggest a deal has been agreed.
There is no doubting the pedigree that Di Maria possesses—after joining Real Madrid from Benfica in the summer of 2010, the forward racked up 22 goals and 49 assists in four league campaigns, according to WhoScored.com.
Those figures mean the now-27-year-old was involved in 57 percent of all Real Madrid’s goals consistently for four seasons. It’s no surprise that he has been a star for Argentina and that Manchester United paid £59.7 million last summer, per Daniel Harris of the Guardian.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc has always reiterated his desire to add a talented left-sided attacker to his squad, and although Di Maria fits that mould perfectly, the way the Parisians played at the end of last season raises questions as to how and where the Argentine player will fit in the manager’s plans.
At the beginning of last season, Blanc continued to play 4-3-3 as he had for the majority of his reign at the capital club. With players returning late after the World Cup in Brazil, plus an early-season injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, players had the chance to make a claim for a starting spot—Edinson Cavani was also allowed to play a number of games as PSG’s central striker.
When Blanc had his full complement of forwards available, Cavani would start on the left, Lucas or Javier Pastore on the right and Ibrahimovic would play centrally. It was functional at best, with PSG’s star quality overpowering the Ligue 1 defences rather than their dominant displays.
Over the course of the season, it became very clear the Argentine playmaker, Pastore, was enjoying his best season since arriving in France back in 2011. He was vibrant, he looked hungry, and for the first time in four seasons, he was taking charge of games.
In order to get the best out of his elegant midfielder, Blanc made a slight tactical tweak. Keeping the best defensive elements of 4-3-3, he changed the front line and played 4-3-1-2. Pastore was allowed to play the No. 10 role and Cavani took up a more central position in the attack.
During the first 22 weeks of the Ligue 1 season, Pastore provided two assists and scored just twice. He would play 14 more games as PSG won their third consecutive French title, finishing with a career-high five goals for the club and notched eight more assists—which included all three in a 3-1 win over Metz at the Parc des Princes.
It wasn’t just the goals and assists that thrilled the Parisian crowd, his overall play was largely improved, often providing the pass before the final pass and generally dictating PSG’s attacking style.
Playing Cavani closer to the centre not only allowed the Uruguayan striker to take up the sort of positions where he can flourish, but it relieved him of his defensive responsibilities and El Matador return the favour—scoring 10 goals in PSG’s last seven league games.
That fantastic run of form came on the back of the former Napoli man going nine league games without a goal. There is little doubt the small change of formation from Blanc got the best out of both Cavani and Pastore, but with the signing of Di Maria, both players would have to adapt again.
If the transfer from Manchester United is completed, it will force one of three things to happen:
Pastore could be dropped from the starting XI and Di Maria could replace his countryman in the No. 10 role. However, it’s Blanc’s comment regarding a left-sided attacker that suggests a return to the 4-3-3 formation.
In both 4-3-3 and 4-3-1-2, Pastore could play as part of the three-man midfield, but you then risk removing him from the areas where he can do the most damage.
Back in 4-3-3, you then have to push Cavani out on the right wing to allow Di Maria to play on the left—this seems to be the formation and lineup that Blanc will favour in the upcoming season. We already know this is the role that Cavani has complained about in the past, suggesting that without a change to the formation in 2014, he might have to leave the club.
It would be naive to think he is going to enjoy taking up the same role, 12 months on, especially after the sensational form he found at the end of the campaign.
Last summer, the transfer would have made sense for PSG, adding a very talented player to a system they were already playing. However, the improvements to Blanc’s team with a much narrower attack were clear to see, and it is a risk from the former France coach to return to a game plan including two wide forwards.
The bigger picture could see Ibrahimovic run down his contract in 12 months’ time, then Cavani would play the central role next season with Di Maria left and Lucas on the right, but a year is a long time in football.
A reduction in Financial Fair Play restrictions has opened the door for PSG to make a big-name signing this summer—the project almost demands that a superstar joins in order to sell shirts and excite the Parc des Princes crowd, but other options should have been explored.
Signing a midfield runner, someone to play as an upgrade to Thiago Motta in the midfield trio, would have added a new dynamic edge and improved the strength of the starting XI.
Angel Di Maria is an excellent player—no one is questioning his ability—but there is a doubt on whether his inclusion actually improves the team. Adding the Argentine to the left side will move both Pastore and Cavani out of their best roles, and that could be worth more than what an in-form Di Maria will add.
The pressure is always on Laurent Blanc as PSG’s head coach, but this signing will be the move that either makes or breaks the power he has in the French capital.
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