Ranking and Grading PSG's Players on Champions League Performances so Far
Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win over APOEL FC at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday confirmed their progress from UEFA Champions League Group F into the latter stages.
Edinson Cavani’s record-breaking goal inside the opening minute proved to be enough to qualify the French champions along with Barcelona, even though there are still two matches left to play.
"PSG equal Ipswich Town (31, since 1962) as club with longest RUNNING unbeaten home streak in Europe.
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) November 5, 2014"
It has been a good campaign for Laurent Blanc’s men so far, beating Barcelona at home in a thrilling 3-2 victory, APOEL home and away by a narrow 1-0 scoreline and drawing with AFC Ajax in Amsterdam. Although the draw in the Netherlands was not the best start, Les Parisiens have recovered well and remain unbeaten in a record 31 home European games.
Here are ranks and grades for all of PSG’s players that have been used in Champions League action so far.
*All of PSG's Champions League statistics included in this piece are thanks to UEFA.com.
Squad Players Not Included
1 of 17
Of PSG’s official 21-man squad, six players have a total of five minutes played between them this season.
Midfielder Clement Chantome is the player with that small amount of time to his name, while reserve goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez, veteran defender Zoumana Camara, young full-backs Serge Aurier and Lucas Digne, as well as teenage midfielder Adrien Rabiot have yet to feature at all.
With the team returning to full fitness in recent weeks, there is a chance that none of these players will see any action before the end of the group stage. However, securing PSG’s place in the latter stages will allow Blanc to rotate his squad if necessary.
16. Ezequiel Lavezzi
2 of 17
So far, Ezequiel Lavezzi has played just 87 minutes of football in total during the group stage.
The Argentine played for 78 minutes against APOEL at home on Wednesday, his first meaningful contribution after a nine-minute substitute appearance against Ajax in the opening game.
Although El Pocho missed the Barcelona and APOEL away wins, he has been disappointing when given the chance.
Grade: D-
15. Yohan Cabaye
3 of 17
Equally as poor has been Yohan Cabaye. In the 43 minutes he has been given on the pitch so far, the French international has contributed precious little and has been limited to three late substitute appearances.
Grade: D-
14. Jean-Christophe Bahebeck
4 of 17
Like teammates Cabaye and Lavezzi, Jean-Christophe Bahebeck has not even played a full 90 minutes for PSG in the Champions League.
However, in his 33 minutes across three different games, the 21-year-old has had more of an impact than both the Frenchman and the Argentine.
Bahebeck showed in the first APOEL encounter that he is capable of asking opposing defences tough questions and giving them headaches. His movement was a key feature in Cavani’s well-taken late winner.
Grade: D
13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
5 of 17
PSG’s star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been absent for all but one of the French giants’ Champions League matches so far.
The Swede featured in the opening match of Group F, away at former side Ajax, playing the entire 90 minutes.
However, he was some way below his usual best and was guilty of trying too hard to make his return to the Amsterdam ArenA a memorable one.
Grade: D+
12. Maxwell
6 of 17
Maxwell has featured in every single on of PSG’s Champions League group stage fixtures so far and has put in a consistent level of performance if nothing else.
Although the 33-year-old Brazilian has not been as decisive in Europe as he is domestically, he has still been an important figure for the team.
Grade: C+
11. Salvatore Sirigu
7 of 17
Two clean sheets from four matches is not a bad total for PSG’s Salvatore Sirigu, even if he was partially responsible for Lasse Schone’s equalising goal in the opening 1-1 draw away at Ajax.
The Italian had no answer to the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Neymar in the 3-2 home win over Barcelona, but arguably no goalkeeper in the world would have kept both efforts out.
Sirigu redeemed himself with good performances in both games against APOEL, contributing towards the clean sheet along with Thiago Silva and David Luiz.
Grade: C+
10. Blaise Matuidi
8 of 17
This season, Blaise Matuidi has struggled for form and fitness at the start but has since come roaring back to his irrepressible best at the heart of the PSG midfield.
The French international’s tremendous performance in the 3-2 win over Barcelona marked the turning point in the 27-year-old’s season, scoring the winning goal.
Since then, he has been back to his best, even if some of his teammates have not.
Grade: B-
9. Thiago Motta
9 of 17
Although PSG’s Thiago Motta has generally struggled to rediscover his best form this season, he has reserved some of his best performances for the European arena.
The Italian was metronomic in the 3-2 win over Barcelona and provided an assist in that match. He has also been one of the more consistent performers in the other three encounters.
Grade: B
8. Javier Pastore
10 of 17
Despite an absence of goals or assists on his report card, Javier Pastore has still been a key player for PSG. Like his superb early season form in Ligue 1, the Argentine has often been at the heart of Les Parisiens’ best passages of play.
Grade: B
7. Lucas Moura
11 of 17
Like teammate Pastore, Lucas might not have a volume of goals and assists to illustrate how well he has played in PSG’s Champions League Group F campaign so far, but that should not detract from his contribution.
The Brazilian provided an assist in the 3-2 win over Barcelona, as well as playing a key role in Cavani’s opener in the away draw at Ajax. However, it is his performances against the likes of APOEL at home that have really demonstrated his importance to the side.
Grade: B
6. Gregory Van Der Wiel
12 of 17
Two assists in four appearances highlight what has been an excellent four-game opening spell for Gregory van der Wiel in PSG’s Champions League campaign. The Dutchman provided the assist for Matuidi’s winner in the Barcelona game and also supplied Cavani with the ammunition for Wednesday’s solitary strike to secure progress to the latter stages.
Van der Wiel has deservedly kept summer signing Aurier out of the team.
Grade: B+
5. Marco Verratti
13 of 17
PSG's Marco Verratti has been one of the outstanding players of the group stages so far.
Despite missing the latest 1-0 win over APOEL in Paris, the 22-year-old Italian star scored Les Parisiens' second goal in the 3-2 win over Barcelona. It was his first for the club in any competition.
The diminutive midfielder also excelled in the away clash against APOEL in Cyprus and was missed in the midfield in the home encounter.
Grade: B+
4. David Luiz
14 of 17
It has been an impressive start to the season for summer arrival David Luiz at PSG. The Brazilian international has particularly impressed in the Champions League, creating solid partnerships with both Marquinhos and captain Thiago Silva.
Luiz’s campaign so far has been topped with his opening goal in the 3-2 win over Barcelona, and his heroic headed goal-line clearance in the 1-0 away win at APOEL to preserve one of the two clean sheets that he has been responsible for in the four games played.
Grade: B+
3. Thiago Silva
15 of 17
Since Thiago Silva's return from injury, PSG have kept two clean sheets in both 1-0 victories over APOEL.
Although you could argue that Blanc’s men were expected to see off the Cypriot champions easily, they proved to be worthy adversaries over both matches.
The Brazilian’s return to fitness has been a boost in Europe and domestically and could prove to be key in helping PSG to top Group F.
Grade: A-
2. Edinson Cavani
16 of 17
With three goals in four appearances so far, Edinson Cavani has been one of PSG’s key men.
Even if his individual performances haven't been as good as was maybe expected, he has still scored half of Les Parisiens’ six total goals.
What is more, Cavani’s three goals have all come in separate matches and have earned a total of seven out of the French giants’ 10 total points.
"0:54 - @ECavaniOfficial has scored @PSG_inside's fastest goal ever in the Champions League. Express.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 5, 2014"
Without El Matador and Ibrahimovic, PSG may well have been looking down the barrel at an embarrassing early exit.
Grade: A
1. Marquinhos
17 of 17
Despite only having featured in two of PSG’s four games so far, Marquinhos has been the French champions’ best player in this Champions League group stage.
Outstanding against both Ajax and Barcelona, the young Brazilian was unlucky to see his momentum clipped by an untimely thigh injury.
The 20-year-old’s heroic last-ditch block in the 3-2 win over Barcelona secured the most vital of results so far this season, highlighting how well the PSG No. 5 stepped up in Thiago Silva’s absence.
Without Marquinhos, Blanc’s men could easily have lost away at Ajax and drawn, or worse, at home to Barcelona.
Grade: A+
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
