Rennes vs. PSG: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game
Paris Saint-Germain moved a provisional 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win away at Stade Rennais on Friday.
Angel Di Maria’s volleyed goal 15 minutes from the end—after a brilliant Marco Verratti pass and Lucas Moura assist—was enough to secure the French champions all three points at Roazhon Park.
It also confirmed Les Parisiens’ best-ever start to a top-flight season with 32 points amassed from just 12 games in Le Championnat.
Aside from the Argentina international’s third Ligue 1 goal, it was a rather dreary encounter with neither side creating much in the way of chances.
Rennes’ lacking invention meant that Laurent Blanc’s men were able to escape with an easy seventh league clean sheet this campaign. Le President was relieved when he spoke with PSG.fr after the match.
"We came here looking for the win, and it's mission accomplished. We looked to avoid any injuries by resting certain players and giving playing time to others. It wasn't easy, but we got there. Nobody was injured this evening. We are happy with the result and the way the game went, even if we could have played better. But given the side we put out there, it's normal we weren't as good as usual, because we lacked a link between the lines. But we did the most important thing. We'll move onto the next game tomorrow morning, a game that everyone is thinking about. We needed to put Real Madrid to one side, and we did that well this evening.
"
Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s narrow win in Brittany.
Winner: Laurent Blanc
1 of 6
Impaired in his ability to align a strong PSG starting XI in Rennes because of some untimely injuries, Laurent Blanc opted to weaken it further by leaving Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti on the bench from the start.
Clearly a move designed to keep key figures fresh ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League trip to face Real Madrid, it almost backfired as his team produced a largely insipid display.
However, as has often been the case, the introduction of Motta helped to change the game.
This time, although Verratti’s introduction proved key—the young Italian was the architect behind the move that led to Angel Di Maria’s volleyed finish—Motta was still influential.
As soon as the veteran Azzurri star was on the pitch, PSG controlled the midfield and scored the only goal of the game.
Blanc’s trump card got him out of jail here.
Loser: Benjamin Stambouli
2 of 6
It was a poor night for Benjamin Stambouli, and once again, he failed to make an impression when given the chance from the start by Laurent Blanc.
The French midfielder has come in for some unwarranted criticism from time to time so far this season, but this time it was justified.
Stambouli gave away possession on a number of occasions, while he was outpassed by Marco Verratti in the 26 minutes the Italy international was on the pitch.
Winner: Juan Fernando Quintero
3 of 6
On a night of few positives for Rennes, Juan Fernando Quintero’s performance deserves some recognition.
The Bretons struggled to create much over the 90 minutes, but the Colombia international was central to almost everything that the hosts created until he was substituted in the 65th minute.
After working his way into Philippe Montanier’s plans of late, Quintero should look to build upon this display.
The return to fitness of Yoann Gourcuff will also help to make the team more creative.
Loser: Philippe Montanier
4 of 6
Although he was missing a few players, notably the jet-heeled Paul-Georges Ntep, Philippe Montanier’s Rennes side did not do enough to trouble a severely weakened PSG team.
The Bretons lined up in relatively conservative fashion and could have made some earlier attacking changes when Les Parisiens were creating nothing before the introductions of Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta.
It was obvious enough pre-match that the capital outfit’s attention would be focused on next week’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid, but Montanier did not do enough to ask a weaker-than-usual PSG side questions.
Winner: Serge Aurier
5 of 6
Regular starting right-back Serge Aurier stepped into his more unfamiliar role of central defender alongside captain Thiago Silva at Roazhon Park, because of injuries to David Luiz, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.
The Ivory Coast international did not look out of place at the heart of PSG’s back line though, helping to keep a seventh clean sheet in Ligue 1 for the defending champions.
With Luiz and Marquinhos expected to be fit enough to make the squad for the trip to face Real Madrid, Aurier will likely be returned to his preferred right-back role next Tuesday.
Loser: Ezequiel Lavezzi
6 of 6
Starting as the lead attacker for PSG, Ezequiel Lavezzi wasted a rare chance to impress coach Laurent Blanc from the start in a 90-minute outing against Rennes.
The Argentina international, along with Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura, could barely muster a shot on goal, and the closest El Pocho went was forcing Benoit Costil to tip wide with a shot from a tight angle in the first half.
Lavezzi did not offer enough, despite not playing in his usual wide role, and his performance illustrated why he is now playing the role of a substitute or squad rotation player.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
