Why Yohan Cabaye Is Under Most Pressure for PSG Following Win with Marseille

Yohan Cabaye may have only played 25 minutes in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Marseille, but it was another example of the Parisian side playing well without the efforts of the former Newcastle United midfielder.

With every game that passes, and with every performance that PSG begin to improve without the presence of Cabaye, the more it puts pressure on the French midfielder’s future at the club.

When Cabaye sealed his £19 million move from Newcastle United to PSG, there was no doubt that it was the best thing for both clubs. The French champions had recruited an excellent midfielder: One with Champions League, Ligue 1 and international experience and despite his influence on the team, Newcastle made a huge profit on the player.

PSG added a player that could instantly come into the club and help lessen the burden on the current first-team midfielders that had been performing so well during the first half of the season.

Last season, the problem for Cabaye was that he was always going to struggle to break up the trio of Marco Verratti, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta. They played out their skins for large parts of the season and were easily one of the best midfields in Europe.

Anyone would have struggled to get game time in that team.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

This season, with injuries, suspensions and late returns from the World Cup splitting up the trio, there should have been a chance for Cabaye to start and finally make his mark on the side from the capital.

Unfortunately for Cabaye, his poor form has continued on from the end of the last campaign. He has struggled for opportunities in the first team and then when he has been given an opening, more often than not he hasn’t pounced the chance.

In his first start, playing away at Evian, Cabaye was shown a red card following two yellows after just 62 minutes. Evian stunned the Parisians, drawing the game 0-0 at the Parc des Sports.

Starts against Lyon, Caen and Toulouse saw PSG only win once with Cabaye in the lineup, the midfielder lasting no more than the 71st minute before being replaced.

You could see that he was willing and wanting to impress, but with every passing game he seemed to be trying too hard to make an impact and more often than not the game has passed him by.

Against Marseille, with Thiago Motta suspended, it looked like Cabaye would get a chance from the start. It would have been only his second start at the Parc des Princes. However, Laurent Blanc decided to go with the more attacking option in Javier Pastore.

It wasn’t the Argentine’s greatest display, but he still managed to impress and do more than Cabaye has managed this season.

The new contract signed by Adrien Rabiot puts further pressure on the 28-year-old. The teenager is now another player that the club has to find minutes for and at this stage of the season, with the way he’s playing, Rabiot could take Cabaye’s minutes and no one would notice the difference.

Remy de la Mauviniere/Associated Press

Didier Deschamps named Cabaye in his France squad for the upcoming friendlies against Albania and Sweden, but he must be getting very close to looking elsewhere. It’s not like Les Bleus are short of midfield talent.

In the under-21 squad you have both Giannelli Imbula and Geoffrey Kondogbia, playing minutes and making an impact with their clubs. Maxime Gonalons has been brought into the squad to replace the now injured Matuidi and the Lyon captain could be the long-term successor to Cabaye’s place.

Cabaye’s poor performances are not just putting pressure on his place at PSG, but with every game that passes without Deschamps seeing the Cabaye that impressed so much at Newcastle and Lille, it is surely only a matter of time before the former Marseille coach can no longer justify selecting the midfielder in his squad.