Lessons Learned from PSG's Fortuitous Champions League Win over Ajax

Paris Saint-Germain ran out fortuitous 3-1 winners against AFC Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening, surviving a scare to see off the Dutch champions in the French capital.

Laurent Blanc’s men took the lead against the run of play through Edinson Cavani, but Davy Klaassen’s header from an excellent Ricardo Kishna cross stunned a rain-soaked Parc des Princes crowd.

PSG’s star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic eventually restored the French champions’ lead before Cavani was gifted a late second to wrap up a 3-1 win that keeps Les Parisiens top of Group F. The capital club will now travel to Spain to take on Barcelona in a clash that will decide who finishes first and second.

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6 - PSG have won their last 6 home games in the Champions League, their best run since October 2000 (6). Parc.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 25, 2014"

More importantly, the win is PSG’s eighth consecutive in all competitions and extends their impressive unbeaten home record to 32 matches.

The hosts' coach Blanc admitted to PSG.fr that his side were fortuitous in victory, but also praised his attackers for their clinical performance in front of goal.

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I think we were up against a side that played better than us this evening, but in the end, they weren't really dangerous. The dangerous side this evening was Paris Saint-Germain and we scored three goals. It's the second time that the statistics aren't in our favour, but in these types of matches, you have to take your chances.

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Here are some lessons learned from PSG 3-1 Ajax.

PSG Are Starting to Click in Attack

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

PSG were depleted on the night, particularly with no Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti or Yohan Cabaye in the midfield, but there were no such concerns going forward.

Blanc was able to play Cavani, Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi up top together and was afforded the luxury of bringing the returning Lucas Moura off the bench late on.

Much was made of the Swede and Uruguayan’s lack of chemistry when the pair played together in the 2-0 win over Olympique de Marseille before the international break, but there can be no such complaints this time.

With Lavezzi, the duo combined brilliantly for Cavani’s opener, while Javier Pastore also got involved from the midfield and provided Ibrahimovic with his well-taken goal.

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463 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic has put an end to a run of 463 minutes without scoring in all comps with PSG. Comeback.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 25, 2014"

Zlatan ended his wait of 463 minutes without a goal in all competitions, while Cavani now has seven goals in his last seven appearances domestically and in Europe.

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6 - @ECavaniOfficial has scored in each of the last six competitive games he has started with PSG. Shape.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 25, 2014"

Slowly but surely PSG are getting back to their best, and soon they will be winning matches with greater authority.

Possession Not Enough for Ajax in Europe

Francois Mori/Associated Press

It is not often that PSG find themselves passed off their Parc des Princes pitch, but that is what happened in the 3-1 win over Ajax.

For the best part of the match, the Dutch champions were the better side and kept the ball away from their hosts in the same way that Les Parisiens like to dominate their opponents.

The Amsterdammers arguably do it better than PSG because of their deeply ingrained philosophy, but that alone does not look like being enough at this level.

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225 - Ajax had 225 touches on the opposition half in the first half vs. PSG, compared to 109 for PSG. Search. pic.twitter.com/LqXUh26MJN

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 25, 2014"

PSG won the game because of their superior individual quality, particularly in front of goal, with Ajax badly in need of similar cutting edge and also a stronger defence.

Frank de Boer’s men can rightly feel aggrieved that they did not earn at least a point, but the Dutch masters need a little more bite to add to their technical brilliance.

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16 - Only three CL goals this season had more build-up passes (16) than Davy Klaassen's goal vs PSG. Unity. pic.twitter.com/AEAUFDRART

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 25, 2014"

PSG Have Rediscovered Their Winning Appetite

Francois Mori/Associated Press

No matter how unconvincing some of their recent performances have been, PSG are simply winning games once again. The 3-1 triumph against Ajax means that the French giants have now won their last eight consecutive fixtures in all competitions.

Considering the pressure that they were under at the start of October, it has been an impressive turnaround from Blanc and his players.

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67.7% - Laurent Blanc has won 67.7% of his Champions League games, more than any other manager (min. 20 games). Dream.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 25, 2014"

Les Parisiens have secured their place in the latter stages of the Champions league, they are now just one point behind Marseille at the top of Ligue 1 instead of seven and are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season.

They may not be as convincing as they were at times last season, but there is no doubt that this is a team that has rediscovered its taste for victory.

The Future Is Bright for Ajax

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Well, when is it not?

Ajax have made their reputation as one of, if not the, best producers of homegrown talent in European football, and this current generation of players looks to be no exception.

Despite the 3-1 scoreline, the Amsterdammers more than held their own for the majority of the game and can feel aggrieved at leaving Paris empty-handed.

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22 - @AFCAjax are fielding their youngest team (22 years, 306 days) in the Champions League since Nov 2004. Future. pic.twitter.com/l4WDeW4YKe

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 25, 2014"

Fielding their youngest-ever starting XI was very admirable, considering the maturity of the performance from a team with only one player over the age of 25 at kick-off. This group could become a force to be reckoned with if they are kept together for two or three seasons.

Talents such as Kishna and Davy Klaassen, on this evidence, have the potential to develop into top talents and will no doubt be sought after by many top clubs if that is not happening already.

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4 - Ricardo Kishna scored a goal and assisted three more in his last 269 minutes for Ajax (all comps). Return.

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 25, 2014"

However, should De Boer stay on as coach for the foreseeable future and keep the core of this squad intact, then reaching the latter stages of the Champions League will not look like such an unrealistic ambition after all.