Paris Saint-Germain: Full Report Card for Every Position for January
After a difficult December to finish off 2014, Paris Saint-Germain’s start to the new year has been much better. Six wins from seven games in all competitions is an excellent record, illustrating a return to form for the French champions.
Indeed, the only negative for Laurent Blanc’s men in January was a stunning 4-2 collapse away at SC Bastia in Ligue 1 after leading 2-0 after 32 minutes. Aside from that shocking result in Corsica, it has been a very positive spell for Les Parisiens.
PSG are still alive on all four fronts coming into February, something that was not the case last season after an early Coupe de France exit.
The capital club have reached the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals, the Coupe de France round of 16 and have managed to move to within two points of Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyonnais ahead of next week’s crunch clash between the pair at Stade Gerland.
On top of that, the club will also be back in UEFA Champions League action with their massive double header against Chelsea to come.
Here is a full report card for every position for January.
Goalkeepers
1 of 9
Salvatore Sirigu
Although it has not been the most ideal of starts to 2015 for Salvatore Sirigu, the Italian still managed to keep two clean sheets in the three games he featured in.
Starting the new year injured with a foot problem picked up over the winter training break, the Azzurri star conceded two goals on his return to action against Evian Thonon Gaillard.
However, he kept AS Saint-Etienne and Stade Rennais at bay to contribute toward two key shutouts.
Grade: B+
Nicolas Douchez
PSG’s reserve goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez must wish it was January every month.
After a largely inactive season, the Frenchman played four times at the start of 2015 across all competitions.
Starts in both the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France were expected, but Sirigu’s foot injury also gave Douchez the chance to feature in the league as well.
The 34-year-old kept two clean sheets in those four games played, making a stunning save to keep his shutout in the League Cup win away at Saint-Etienne intact.
Grade: C+
Right-Backs
2 of 9
Marquinhos
A controversial choice in the right-back section for January, but that is where Marquinhos has featured in each of his five appearances for PSG so far in 2015.
The talented young Brazilian has helped Blanc’s men keep four clean sheets in those five games and his insertion at right-back has balanced what was a previously shaky back line.
Grade: B+
Gregory van der Wiel
It is safe to say that Gregory van der Wiel will not look back on January 2015 as his best month.
The Dutchman featured in just two games out of a possible seven, and in those two appearances, he conceded a penalty in the 4-2 defeat away at Bastia, which went on to become the turning point of the game, as well as scoring an own goal in the 4-2 home win over Evian.
After that, Van der Wiel developed a toe problem that kept him out of action for January’s final few games.
Grade: C
Serge Aurier
Absent since the start of January because of Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast, Serge Aurier is yet to feature for PSG in 2015.
Grade: N/A
Left-Backs
3 of 9
Maxwell
January was not exactly the best of months for Maxwell, even if he did not play poorly when analysing his individual performances.
The Brazilian veteran featured three times for PSG, with the team conceding six goals in those games and only managing to keep one clean sheet.
That lone shutout came when Blanc aligned a Parisien back four with exclusively Brazilian players.
Grade: C+
Lucas Digne
January witnessed some much-improved performances from PSG’s Lucas Digne.
The French international started four games across all competitions and helped to keep three clean sheets in that run.
A superb cross to provide Edinson Cavani’s headed goal against Girondins de Bordeaux was the highlight of the month for the 21-year-old.
More of the same is needed from Digne in February.
Grade: C
Central Defenders
4 of 9
Thiago Silva
January was a largely good month for PSG captain Thiago Silva, but it featured a sharp improvement after an initial drop in quality during the Bastia debacle.
The Brazilian has not looked back since that awful afternoon in Corsica and has inspired his defence to keep three cleans sheets in five games.
Added to the shutout against Montpellier HSC in the opening game of 2015, that is a total of four clean sheets in seven appearances for Silva.
The Selecao star is starting to resemble his old self once again.
Grade: A-
David Luiz
David Luiz has been an almost ever-present figure by Silva’s side, but he did miss the Bordeaux game when he was being rested.
Not as consistent as Silva and still questionable at a few moments during the month, the Brazilian still helped to keep four clean sheets in six matches.
Luiz also found the back of the net in the 4-2 win over Evian.
Grade: B
Zoumana Camara
PSG veteran central defender Zoumana Camara featured once in January, and that will probably be his last involvement for some time.
The 35-year-old was played in the 2-1 win over Bordeaux in the Coupe de France, picking up a red card for two bookable offences.
Camara performance did not justify being started ahead of Marquinhos in the middle, but Van der Wiel’s toe injury dictated that the Brazilian had to start at right-back.
Grade: D
Central Midfielders
5 of 9
Marco Verratti
Now comfortably PSG’s key man in the middle, January was another good month for Marco Verratti.
The Italian international featured six times out of a possible seven games, with a mixture of starts and substitute appearances.
Blanc handled Verratti well, keeping him as fresh as possible for the key month of February.
An excellent January was capped with a first Ligue 1 goal for the Azzurri star in the 4-2 win over Evian.
Grade: A-
Blaise Matuidi
Although not quite at his irrepressible best, Blaise Matuidi remains one of PSG’s key players.
The French international was rested against Bordeaux, like Luiz, but otherwise featured heavily in six of Les Parisiens’ seven games in January.
Matuidi will be key during a gruelling February schedule.
Grade: B-
Yohan Cabaye
PSG’s Yohan Cabaye is on the road to recovery after a difficult spell.
After a poor 2014, the new year has started well for the French intenational, and he has looked good in the four matches he has featured in.
A sublime lofted diagonal pass provided Lucas Moura with the opening goal in the 4-2 defeat away at Bastia, while the 29-year-old was also key in creating the chance for Digne to cross for Cavani’s header in the Coupe de France win over Bordeaux.
Cabaye’s recent performances suggest that he is not that far away from possibly taking over from Motta in defensive midfield.
Grade: C+
Adrien Rabiot
Given a string of games in order to persuade him to not take up an option for a six-month loan without option to buy, Adrien Rabiot featured in five of PSG’s seven January games.
The French teenager fared reasonably well, but he still looks short of full-match sharpness. However, he will likely reach his optimum level shortly as the squad continues to rotate over the coming weeks.
It was Rabiot’s delightful chipped pass that largely created Ezequiel Lavezzi’s stunning team goal in the 1-0 home win over Rennes.
Grade: C
Clement Chantome
Clement Chantome’s goal against Montpellier in the 3-0 Coupe de France success turned out to be his final act for the club.
It was the Frenchman’s only game played in January because of an injury picked up toward the end of that match, and it was a fitting way to sign off his 15-year stay in the French capital.
Chantome left for Bordeaux at the end of the month.
Grade: C
Thiago Motta
PSG’s Thiago Motta continues to struggle to rediscover his best form in Blanc’s midfield.
The Italian picked up a suspension and missed the 1-0 win over Rennes, but he was suspect in both victories over Saint-Etienne in January.
Unless he can do something about his lack of mobility, which is unlikely, then the middle of the park will continue to lack dynamism.
Grade: C-
Wingers
6 of 9
Lucas Moura
January was another good month for PSG’s Lucas Moura.
One of the capital club’s top performers so far this campaign, the Brazilian added two goals and an assist to his overall contribution for the season.
Although both goals came at the start of the month, he only laid on a sublime Javier Pastore strike against Evian in the games that followed, Lucas was a constant thorn in opponents' sides throughout January.
Grade: A
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Having finally returned to the fold after being kept out of the squad for three games by Coach Blanc as punishment for skipping the club’s winter training camp, Ezequiel Lavezzi featured three times for PSG in January.
El Pocho only started once, making brief cameo appearances in the other two games, but he put the finish touches on a sublime team move to score the only goal of the game against Rennes.
Lavezzi’s strained relationship with Blanc is limiting his chances.
Grade: B-
Jean-Christophe Bahebeck
January has not been an ideal start to 2015 for Jean-Christophe Bahebeck.
The Frenchman featured fleetingly as a substitute against Montpellier, Bastia and Bordeaux, but he was barely given enough time to register his presence on the pitch.
Bahebeck is starting to be under-used by Blanc.
Grade: C-
No. 10s
7 of 9
Javier Pastore
After an excellent first half of the season with PSG, Javier Pastore has picked up in 2015 where he left off the year before.
El Flaco featured in all seven January games for Les Parisiens, scoring two goals and laying on another two.
An opportunist finish in the 2-1 win followed up his sumptuous volleyed effort in the 4-2 win over Evian and Bordeaux in the Coupe de France.
Pastore played the final pass to Lavezzi in the buildup to the Argentine’s beautiful goal against Rennes and also crossed for Ibrahimovic’s head goal in the 3-0 win away at Montpellier.
Grade: A
Strikers
8 of 9
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Something is still not quite right with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at PSG, the Swede is not moving freely and is visibly frustrated on the pitch at times.
Yet the 33-year-old has three goals and an assist from his six games played in January, and all three goals were key for PSG.
Ibrahimovic’s double against Saint-Etienne was of particular importance and continued his fine scoring record against Les Verts.
Grade: B+
Edinson Cavani
After missing the first three games of the year, thanks to internal suspension for skipping PSG’s midseason training camp in Morocco, Edinson Cavani still managed to score two goals in the four other games he appeared in this January.
The Uruguayan fared much better when played in the middle, without Ibrahimovic, against Bordeaux in the French Cup and scored an excellent header. El Matador also scored with a simple finish to complete the 4-2 win over Evian.
However, the month ended with two frustrating performances when pushed back out wide and the Parc des Princes crowd harshly booed him off during the 1-0 win over Rennes in Ligue 1.
Grade: B
Coach
9 of 9
Laurent Blanc
With six wins out of seven games in all competitions in January, Laurent Blanc has steadied the ship at PSG.
Le President has the French champions alive on all four fronts still and must be given credit for the way he has handled such a demanding schedule so far.
February is likely to cause Blanc more problems, but the Frenchman is finally getting Les Parisiens to start grinding out the wins once more after a sticky patch.
The 4-2 humiliation at the hands of Bastia appears to have been a turning point for the coach and his players.
Grade: A-
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
