PSG Secure Much Needed Victory over Lens but Pay a Heavy Price

Paris Saint-Germain secured a morale-boosting 3-1 win over RC Lens at the Stade de France on Friday, but the three points came at a cost for Laurent Blanc’s men. The French champions lost midfielder Blaise Matuidi to a hip injury after just 21 minutes, before Edinson Cavani was sent off immediately after breaking his four-game goal drought with a second half penalty.

The potential loss of the Frenchman and the Uruguayan’s impending suspension will make coach Blanc’s life difficult for the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash away at APOEL and the home Ligue 1 encounter with high-flying Girondins de Bordeaux next weekend.

Should Les Parisiens be deprived of both, the French champions could potentially be without seven regular members of his starting XI.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Just when he must have thought that the situation was starting to ease, Blanc is back under pressure because of his decreasing number of available stars. As well as Le President, the likes of star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic and captain Thiago Siva are now under more pressure than ever to return to full fitness and come back to help the team build up momentum ahead of the crunch clash at home against bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille next month.

Thiago Motta was also taken off during the Lens victory, but likely more as a precaution than another injury worry. The Italian was not expected to start at the Stade de France, but the late withdrawal of Silva forced Blanc to pair the 32-year-old with the 35-year-old Zoumana Camara in central defence.

It was a gamble that did not really pay off, even though PSG did win the match, with Motta deflecting Adamo Coulibaly’s early shot past Salvatore Sirigu and into the net. The Frenchman will not want to feel obliged to do the same in Cyprus next week or at home against Willy Sagnol’s men.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

While there is a chance that Cavani’s bizarre red card dished out by referee Nicolas Rainville gets overturned, Matuidi’s hip injury could turn into a major problem for PSG. The French international’s mobility and tireless application to task makes him an indispensable member of the team, while his athleticism helps to bring the best out of an ageing Motta.

Deprived of Matuidi’s presence alongside him, it is unlikely that Motta will be able to get back to anything close to the excellent form we saw him last campaign. Matuidi does the thankless tasks that require massive amounts of energy that Motta simply cannot put in, and the result is that the Azzurri star’s lack of pace and movement is regularly exposed.

Should Silva, David Luiz or Marquinhos be unable to make it back for either of the next matches though, Mota would be required to fill in at the back once more, leaving a gaping hold in the middle of the park.

Equally concerning, if Cavani’s red card is not overturned, is how Le Parisiens would combat the absence of both Ibrahimovic and El Matador. With only Lucas Moura, Jean-Christophe Bahebeck and Javier Pastore as possible attacking options.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

None of the three are ideal and it is not the sort of situation Blanc will have wanted to face as his team approached a must-win match against another top-of-the-table rival. However, that is the reality for PSG and the 48-year-old at this moment.

Had the French champions lost to Lens on Friday, then Blanc would almost certainly have been out of a job. He had to win, and because of that, he will not have too many complaints over the growing list of injuries and absentees.

However, with that win, the expectation now is that PSG will quickly be restored to the same dominant force that we saw in Ligue 1 last season. These casualties make that less likely and put even more pressure on Blanc ahead of the trip to APOEL and the visit of Bordeaux.

In the short-term, the price was worth paying for Blanc and PSG, but the long-term answer to that might not be so positive.