Apoel Nicosia vs. PSG: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
After what was a hard-fought 90 minutes in Cyprus, Paris Saint-Germain were lucky to come away with all three points after their 1-0 win over Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday night.
The home side held on for 87 minutes before Edinson Cavani improvised to get his right foot on the ball and put it beyond Urko Parso in the Apoel net.
In fairness the Spanish goalkeeper had very little to do during the 90 minutes, and the home side will rue the few chances they did miss during the game.
PSG were poor throughout the majority of the game and struggled to break down the well-organised Apoel defence. Cavani missed a couple of half chances and David Luiz did fantastically well to clear a Tiago Gomes header off the line in the second half.
The victory keeps PSG on top in Group F, Barcelona thought they had leapfrogged the French side after beating Ajax 3-1 in the Nou Camp, but the late Cavani strike keeps Laurent Blanc’s side ahead at the halfway stage.
Here are more lessons learned after PSG’s 1-0 win over Apoel Nicosia.
PSG's Lack of Pace Causing Blanc Problems
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It is something we have seen time and time again in Ligue 1. Against PSG, teams are well aware that if they can set up their team in a way that frustrates the Parisian side, they can be successful.
On Tuesday night, Apoel did exactly that. The back four played narrow, the defensive midfielders kept the gap small between them and the centre-backs and the wingers tucked in to help out.
Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ability to create something from nothing, PSG need players with pace to stretch the defensive line.
Lucas Moura is the only player to offer the away side any exceptional pace. On Tuesday the rest of the lineup was extremely static and played at a pedestrian pace. This is not something Blanc can change tactically; it’s more about attitude and of the players he has available.
PSG will come up against this problem when they face the better sides in the competition, and it is up to Blanc to find a way to get past sides who are better equipped to stop this PSG attack.
If the French side try and take on sides in a similar way in the latter stages, they won't be as lucky. PSG need to push the ball quicker up the pitch, look to play more one-touch passes and get forward at pace so that Lucas has a chance to get in behind.
If they play like that again, especially against Barcelona and Ajax, they might not be as lucky.
Javier Pastore the Key to PSG's Success
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Over the past few weeks, PSG midfielder Javier Pastore has received a lot of praise for his recent performances. It’s safe to say the 70 minutes he played against Apoel on Tuesday were far from his best.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort; the Argentine was always looking for the ball, he was busy and tried to make things happen, but everything he tried mostly failed to come off.
"22 - Javier Pastore has lost 22 possessions during the first half, more than any other player on the pitch. Confused.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 21, 2014"
At half-time, the playmaker has lost possession of the ball 22 times, more than anyone else on the pitch. This reflected on PSG’s performance, and they failed to trouble the Apoel defence for the majority of not just the first 45 minutes but up until Cavani’s winning goal.
Without Ibrahimovic, Blanc needs someone to create and trouble the opposition defence. Pastore was superb in the win against Barcelona, looking dangerous every time he was on the ball. On Tuesday he was far from the same level.
At this stage of the season, if PSG want to be successful in the Champions League, they need Pastore at his creative best.
Apoel No Walkovers in Group F
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Greek coach Giorgos Donis will be proud of his side this evening. They did everything they needed to do to get something from this game, but in the end that wasn’t enough.
Beaten by a single goal by both Barcelona and PSG is no mean feat, the point against Ajax is the least that they deserve at this point of the group stage.
Donis had his team well drilled and they played with their hearts on their sleeves. They threw everything in front of the PSG attack to stop them from breaking through the yellow back line.
The result could have been so different if they had taken one of their great chances. Cillian Sheridan was denied in the first half after a smart counter-attack, then the best chance of the game came when Tiago Gomes saw his header cleared off the line by Brazilian defender David Luiz.
Apoel are in a battle with Ajax to avoid finishing last; if they can continue to play with that same passion and organisation, they will deserve more than the single point they have so far.
Donis may be very proud of his side, but they may end up with nothing to show for it.
