Edinson Cavani Makes Goalscoring Return as PSG Eventually Overcome Evian

Paris Saint-Germain recorded their first Ligue 1 win in four matches with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Evian Thonon Gaillard at Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Prior to the match, the French champions had not won in Le Championnat since a 2-1 triumph over FC Nantes in Paris back in early December. The three points pull them level with second-placed Olympique de Marseille on 41.

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Following league leaders Olympique Lyonnais’ 2-0 win away at RC Lens on Saturday, it was imperative that Laurent Blanc’s men not slip seven points behind Les Gones with a defeat.

Goals from David Luiz, Marco Verratti, Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani ensured that did not happen, but the hosts’ shaky defence made it necessary for Les Parisiens’ attacking unit to outscore Evian. Blanc was satisfied, but remains frustrated by the comparisions with last season's dominant form per Ligue1.com.

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We are pleased to take the three points. That is important to us. We kept reacting instead of acting. We waited for our opponent to hurt us before we really got going. It's been a long time since we scored so many goals and created so many opportunities, even if it did not feel like it. Our problem is that we played such beautiful football last year. Everyone expects us to be the same this year. I assure you, we are in the same state of mind, but the players are not in the same place physically and mentally. We must re-energise the group. As for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the only problem is that when you compare to last year he may have had the best season of his career then. I am not worried about him though. He is a hard worker. We cannot do anything we want in the transfer window because of financial fair play, but we still have quality in this group.

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While it was not a good afternoon for PSG at the back, it was a relatively good one in front of goal.

In fact, it should have been a better one goal-wise and probably would have been if Evian goalkeeper Benjamin Leroy had not been in sensational form early on. The 25-year-old made a string of brilliant early saves but was unable to maintain that stellar level of performance over the entire 90 minutes.

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However, as unlucky as Leroy was, PSG did put four goals past the Frenchman by the end of the game, and the returning Cavani scored one of those.

The Uruguayan, along with fellow midseason training camp rebel Ezequiel Lavezzi, had sat out the first three games of 2015 as part of the sanctions dished out by coach Blanc. However, named on the bench for the game, El Matador made his first appearance of the new year and marked it with a goal.

Getting on the end of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic cross-cum-shot at the back post, Cavani tapped in a chance that he thoroughly deserved to be presented with after a hard-working cameo display in the 21 minutes he was given in place of the quiet Blaise Matuidi.

Booed by the Parc des Princes crowd after he was introduced, the home supporters were demanding that all the PSG players “sweat for the shirt” after being pegged back at 2-2 because of Gregory van der Wiel’s amateurish own goal.

The South American won them over with his committed showing.

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Cavani’s introduction brought some much-needed movement up top for the champions, something that Ibrahimovic seemed incapable of providing when his strike partner was not on the pitch.

Up until the goal, Cavani did not really get a sniff of a chance, but his hard-working approach woke the hosts up a little and brought some urgency to their game.

Whether or not Ibrahimovic intended to assist Cavani is debatable. It looked like a shot at goal on first viewing, but the fact is that the pair combined to seal the points for PSG, and that was the most important thing.

The Uruguayan needed to hit the ground running and did just that, while the Swede had little to show for his afternoon’s work until his teammate tapped in late on.

Zlatan was involved in Verratti’s first Ligue 1 goal and played a role in the buildup to Pastore’s sumptuous volleyed finish, but neither could be classified as an assist.

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It took Cavani’s introduction for Ibrahimovic to make a really telling contribution on a day when he struggled to impose himself on the opposition. As has often been the case this season, the pair need each other to be able to best serve the team.

What Blanc needs to do now is manage his two attacking stars with intelligence and discipline.

On the evidence of the Evian performance, not to mention most of his displays so far in 2015, Ibrahimovic needs some rest in order to keep himself in the best possible condition.

If this means benching the Swede in favour of Cavani so that PSG’s No. 10 is fit for the team’s most important matches, then this is something that Blanc must give serious consideration. Besides, the South American’s best performances this season have come when played through the middle and often without Ibrahimovic.

Regardless of what Le President decides to do in the near future, though, Cavani’s goalscoring return to action should mean that a line can now be drawn under the midseason lack of discipline shown by the Uruguayan.

The incident will not be forgotten, nor should it be, but it also should not be used as a stick to beat him with each time he does not score a goal or put in a good performance. If given the chance to play in his preferred role, the 27-year-old will score goals and win the team games.

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Cavani will now be hoping to embark upon a prolific second half of the season in order to win back Blanc’s trust and put the Frenchman in a difficult position come the end of the season.

If the PSG No. 9 can become the capital outfit’s main source of goals in the second half of the campaign, it is feasible that he could usurp Ibrahimovic as the team’s primary goal-getter and force Les Parisiens to make a tough decision about the future of one of the pair.

For now, though, Cavani just needs to keep his head down and continue scoring goals. If he can keep doing that, then Ibrahimovic’s continued struggle to rediscover his best form is not the most pressing concern.