Ezequiel Lavezzi's Continued Involvement Harms PSG's Long-Term Future

Paris Saint-Germain were successful on Tuesday night, the 2-1 win eliminating Toulouse from the Coupe de France and sealing their place in the last 16 of the competition.

However, Laurent Blanc's team selection and the decision to start Ezequiel Lavezzi at the Parc des Princes shows a lack of long-term thinking.

Predictably, Lavezzi was a periphery figure during the game, adding little of note and showing exactly why PSG have let his contract run down and why he will leave the club in the summer.

In his current deal, the Argentinian winger is paid around £110,000 a week by the Parisian club. This season, he has played 427 minutes in the league—scoring twice—and just 86 minutes in the Champions League. Between August and the end of January, during PSG's two main competitions, they have paid the 30-year-old about £5,150 per minute of action, working out at around £1.2 million per goal.

Tuesday proved once again that the forward adds little to the attack. It was reported by Gianluca Di Marzio after the game that the player's agent was due in London at the weekend, set to speak to Chelsea about a potential summer move. If there is any chance of a move this month, PSG should take any offer the English club makes.

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It was expected that 18-year-old forward Jean-Kevin Augustin would start against Toulouse, giving him vital game time, but when the teams were announced, the teenager wasn't even named in the substitute list.

Blanc had spoken about the striker before the game and admitted, via Orange.fr (in French), it was a difficult situation for the youngster. He said all young players at PSG faced competition from top players and that it would be very hard to find playing time, but they must enjoy what the club offers.

The Coupe de France offers the perfect opportunity to play kids like Augustin in the starting lineup. Handing Lavezzi more minutes will do nothing for the club in the long term.

Hervin Ongenda played from the start, impressing with his powerful runs from midfield. Even he could have played in Lavezzi's role, with someone like Christopher Nkunku—who signed his first professional deal in December—playing in the midfield.

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"It's another victory, achieved by doing it tough," Blanc told press after the game, via the official PSG website. "Congratulations to the players, because they fought back after Toulouse opened the scoring. They are a very difficult team to play against. The third act between the two sides will be another tough game I suspect, but if the result is the same, I'll take it."

There's no doubt it was a tough game. Excuses can be made for PSG making a number of changes, but with six full internationals on the pitch, playing against the team ranked 18th in Ligue 1, it's still a game the cup holders should win.

Happy to be in the next round, the club are obviously looking to retain the cup, but at what cost? Winning trophies is a great achievement for PSG, but after last year's quadruple success, it adds very little value to the project as a whole.

Developing your own youth products, something the club has often said it is keen on doing, would be far more satisfying than another domestic cup. It shows the fans that the future of the club is bright and exciting, and that not all their future stars will be brought in via a healthy bank balance.

As long as QSI are involved, PSG will have a future as one of Europe's biggest clubs, but promoting youth and giving the fans homegrown talent to cheer on could be exactly what the club needs to truly establish their identity.