Solid Montpellier Win Vindicates PSG's Laurent Blanc over Lavezzi and Cavani

Paris Saint-Germain may have started 2015 on a low note off the pitch, with the sanctions imposed on Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani for failing to attend a midseason training camp in Morocco, but Laurent Blanc’s men started the calendar year positively on the pitch.

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Handed a tough draw away at Montpellier HSC in the Coupe de France round of 64, the French champions battled to a convincing 3-0 win in difficult conditions. Clement Chantome opened the scoring before Zlatan Ibrahimovic went from maker to taker and Lucas Moura added late gloss to the scoreline.

Played at Altrad Stadium—Montpellier’s local rugby venue—because of the flooding suffered by La Paillade’s Stade de la Mosson back in October of 2014, a large degree of quality was taken out of the game before it even started.

However, Blanc selected a perfect starting XI for the game. Opting to bench his more technical stars such as Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti, Le President went for a more functional side made up of players capable of scrapping for the ball, making light of the dreadful pitch and relying on the individual brilliance of Ibrahimovic.

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That ingenuity did not show itself until late on: The Swede created Chantome’s simple opener before scoring himself with an opportunist header, but Blanc’s players did exactly what their coach would have asked of them.

Starting with Marquinhos at right-back gave PSG a three-man back line at times, with David Luiz and captain Thiago Silva in the middle. Lucas Digne started instead of Maxwell at left-back and was Les Parisiens’ most attack-minded full-back for the majority of the match.

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In the midfield, Adrien Rabiot fared well as the deep-lying member of the quartet—a possible prelude to the French teenager's taking over permanently from Thiago Motta in that role—while Chantome, Yohan Cabaye and the indefatigable Blaise Matuidi provided some much-needed mettle.

It was Chantome who opened the scoring with the easiest of finishes after Ibrahimovic’s simple pass, and the Frenchman made way for Pastore late on. El Flaco would go on to provide a show-stealing cameo; the Argentine playmaker looked surprisingly adept in the unfavourable conditions to provide Ibrahimovic’s header and play a role in Lucas’ late third.

Blanc, for all the criticism he has received recently, was vindicated for his recent show of force in dealing with Lavezzi and Cavani. Both South Americans should fear for their immediate places in the team on this evidence, because PSG looked like a team once more.

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Perhaps the recent goings-on at Parc des Princes have shaken the team up a bit and made them realise that they can no longer take their star statuses in the capital for granted. That fear, instilled by Blanc after a rare show of ruthlessness in dealing with Lavezzi and Cavani, might now have regained control of his dressing room.

Questions were asked of PSG’s tactical setup pre-match, but the 49-year-old proved the doubters wrong by guiding his team to the round of 32 and keeping the capital club on course for one of its main objectives this season.

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If Blanc can now keep the team moving in the same direction together and ensure that the complacent attitude that was evident during the first half of the season has gone for good, then PSG can still go on to enjoy success on multiple fronts this campaign.

The 3-0 win away at Montpellier was only one result, though. Another performance like that is needed in Corsica to beat SC Bastia on Saturday; then it will be interesting to see how Blanc deals with reintegrating both Lavezzi and Cavani.

On this evidence, neither player was missed. But not every game for the remainder of this season will be played on a cut-up rugby pitch.