Could Laurent Blanc Mastermind a PSG Shock at Chelsea; Would It Save His Job?

Last Saturday was, at least, light on drama for Paris Saint-Germain. That had not been the case in the days before the Champions League last 16 first-leg reception of Chelsea, when Laurent Blanc’s team somehow went from winning 2-0 against Caen at the Parc des Princes in the 89th minute to ending with a barely believable 2-2 draw.

That had been a total mess, with PSG forced to finish the game with nine men after Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura were forced off (injured) with the full complement of substitutions already made. This was a little more calm, with the champions cruising to a 4-1 win over ailing Lens—who already had their own eye on their “last chance” next weekend against Toulouse, according to their coach and Paris legend, Antoine Kombouare (as per L’Equipe, subscription required).

Blanc also brought back Thiago Motta after injury, and was able to rest Edinson Cavani, Blaise Matuidi and Javier Pastore from his starting line-up, even if the former two came on to score. It was, as Blanc pointed out after the match, the perfect preparation for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

These are not the results that will colour a retrospective view of Blanc’s tenure, however. In fact, winning Ligue 1 or not will not do so either. It is how he handles this most taxing of European tasks that will galvanise or diminish his standing.

That was certainly the case with last season’s quarter-final exit to The Blues, which looked for a while like it might push Blanc out the door after a season in which PSG won a league/Coupe de la Ligue double. Until that return leg last year—finally folded in Chelsea’s favour by Demba Ba’s dramatic late goal—Blanc’s time at the Parc was surrounded with positive feeling. It is no secret that he wasn’t first choice (or even second, third or fourth) to replace Carlo Ancelotti when appointed in June 2013.

Paul White/Associated Press

Yet he provided the Parc and the club’s owners with a sparkling, energetic brand of dominant possession football that Ancelotti, for all his experience, had been unable to for long periods. Blanc had talked with passion, but not pretention, in early season about how he hoped to inch towards Barcelona’s best level of intensity.

That conviction was sorely lacking on an evening in which PSG (and, by implication, their boss) didn’t know whether to stick or twist with their 3-1 lead. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing and Cavani unable to make the decisive contribution in front of goal in his absence, the Parisians’ worst fears were realised.

Asked about his client Ibrahimovic’s relationship with Blanc by Luis Fernandez on his RMC show ‘Luis Attaque’ last Thursday, Mino Raiola was clear in stating the Sweden striker respected the coach. Raiola did, however, adroitly phrase his statement in saying that Ibrahimovic was pleased with the way the coaching team prepared the squad for the first leg with Chelsea.

Not, in other words, Blanc specifically. Jean-Louis Gasset, Blanc’s former teammate at Montpellier and his faithful assistant since his first senior job in charge of Bordeaux, deals with the tactical minutiae within the partnership, and Blanc has been challenged about his lack of time on the training pitch with the players (as per ESPN FC), much to his chagrin.

So the suspicion remains that Blanc is almost a glorified, and well-paid, caretaker until somebody with a truly seismic reputation and profile—someone like Ancelotti, really—becomes available and willing.

PSG are under a lot less pressure at Stamford Bridge this year, with few expecting them to turn Jose Mourinho’s men over. This could work in their favour, but any lasting credit for Blanc is likely to be strictly limited.