PSG Back Atop Ligue 1 After Nantes Win but Verratti, Motta Draw Ill-Timed Bans

Paris Saint-Germain are back at the summit of Ligue 1 after a 2-0 win at FC Nantes on Sunday night.

Edinson Cavani and Blaise Matuidi scored the goals as Les Parisiens took home the necessary points to keep them three points clear of title rivals Olympique Lyonnais. However, it was not much of a spectacle as an entertaining first half made was for a poor second 45.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc was satisfied with the result, as he told BeIN Sports France (h/t PSG.fr) after the match. The French tactician wanted to see more from his team in attack, particularly in the first half, but was more concerned with keeping the team’s good current run of form going.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned from his recent three-game suspension to play a part in both goals. His self-created shot fell kindly for Cavani to open the scoring—at Gregory van der Wiel’s expense—before combining well with Thiago Motta to delightfully play in Matuidi for the second.

However, perhaps what is more important for PSG after this win is what—or who—they lost at Stade de la Beaujoire and not necessarily what they have gained in terms of the points collected.

Marco Verratti was handed an unfair yellow card in the first half for what was deemed a foul on Jordan Veretout by referee Ruddy Buquet, and Thiago Motta then joined his fellow Italian in the book late on.

This rips the heart out of Blanc’s midfield ahead of a tricky trip to face Montpellier HSC in the penultimate game of the Ligue 1 season on May 16.

As illustrated during the heavy 5-1 aggregate defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, PSG are not the same team without the Azzurri pair of Verratti and Motta controlling the game in the midfield.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Blanc will now have to hope that David Luiz recovers in time to feature in the defensive midfield role he has occupied already this season. The Brazilian missed the win in Nantes and has been struggling for full fitness ever since he was foolishly rushed back into action last month.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

If Les Parisiens can beat EA Guingamp at Parc des Princes on Friday and opening up a provisional six-point lead over Lyon, then perhaps the Montpellier match will ultimately be of less importance.

However, based on OL’s current form, PSG should assume that Hubert Fournier’s men will beat relegation battlers Stade Malherbe Caen away. Doing so would make Montpellier another match that the capital club cannot afford to lose and would also place greater emphasis on the absences of both Verratti and Motta.

A good first 45 minutes for Cavani, Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore tempered the loss of both Italian internationals, but Blanc will be disappointed at how his team’s intensity dropped after he withdrew Matuidi because of a knock picked up during his first-half clash with Papy Mison Djilobodji.

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44 - Blaise Matuidi's 44 touches made against Nantes. Omnipresent. pic.twitter.com/xhYd5CAFJP

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 3, 2015"

Van der Wiel impressed, albeit mainly in an attacking capacity, after scoring in the 3-1 home win over FC Metz just days before.

Substitute goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez also made a number of excellent saves to keep the Alejandro Bedoya-inspired hosts at bay, while captain Thiago Silva and Marquinhos were calm and composed in the centre of defence.

However, the bookings for Verratti and Motta—especially the poor decision to award the former a yellow—will have dampened the victory somewhat.

PSG now need to see off the threat of Jocelyn Gourvennec’s underrated Guingamp side in the French capital next week in order to make sure that they can at least afford to draw and not lose the top spot in Montpellier.