PSG Boss Unai Emery's Key Decisions Ahead of 2016-17 Season

Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery got his career in France off to a superb start on Saturday night, as PSG destroyed challengers Olympique Lyonnais in the season opener, 4-1.

Winning the Trophee des Champions, the first silverware of the campaign, with a convincing victory, sent a signal to the rest of the league and proved that the Spanish boss wanted to get things underway with a bang.

A successful pre-season in America set them up nicely. They worked on Emery's shape and philosophy, and if Saturday is anything to go by, the team has taken to it well.

"I'm happy with this win and the team's display,” Emery told the club's official site after the win over Lyon:

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Even if we can still improve things. The team has worked hard throughout pre-season, and we took on an extra dimension this evening. It was a difficult game. Lyon had possession, but we managed to come out on top. The league is going to be difficult, but I'm confident the team will give its best.

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There are still a number of key decisions for the coach to consider going into the 2016/17 season, but they are mostly good problems, with the team looking strong across the board.

Emery's keeper conundrum

Starting from the back, the first decision Emery has to make comes between the posts.

Kevin Trapp got the nod to start the game against Lyon and had very little to do, giving the coach no reason to consider any other option at the moment.

Yet the German goalkeeper will face competition this season from French shot-stopper Alphonse Areola. The 23-year-old has spent the last few years out on loan, playing for RC Lens, SC Bastia and Villarreal.

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He helped the Spanish side reach the semi-finals of the Europa League last term and would have impressed right under Emery's nose.

Trapp had some shaky moments in his first season but would on occasion make some superb saves. The issues are going to come in the Champions League. It’s hard to forget his blunder against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, a game that possibly cost PSG top spot in the group and an easier route through the tournament.

The German has grown in stature since that game, but that doesn't mean he is the best option going forward.

With Trapp being handed the No. 1 jersey, Areola will have to start as the backup, but he needs to be ready to take his opportunity when it comes.

He is still the man most likely to become France's next No. 1 keeper, but to do that, he needs to spend much more time between the posts at PSG.

Defensive shortcomings must be addressed

The Parisians finished last season not only as champions, but also with the best defensive record in Ligue 1. However, in the Champions League, there were issues at the back, one of them being £50 million defender David Luiz.

To Luiz or not to Luiz: That is the question for Emery. Or more importantly, what to do with Marquinhos?

The younger Brazilian is currently back home competing with his country at the Rio Olympics, but when he returns, he will be looking for significant minutes.

There's no doubt he will play a huge part in the campaign, with the club looking to compete on four fronts, but playing as the third option isn't going to satisfy the 23-year-old.

With Laurent Blanc gone—Serge Aurier is back in the first team and looking great down the right. PSG also signed Thomas Meunier from Club Brugge, and the Belgian has impressed in pre-season.

That means the club are sorted at right full-back, a position where Marquinhos often played. Sometimes it seemed he was playing there just to get minutes. That option is pretty much gone.

One feature of PSG's stunning play against Lyon was the attacks at speed down the flanks, with Aurier on the right and Layvin Kurzawa down the left both attacking at will.

Marquinhos is an excellent defender, but he is not cut out for the role of marauding full-back.

When he is picked this term, it will be at centre-back; that means not picking David Luiz. To many PSG fans, that would be a great thing, but it could disrupt the balance in the team.

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Captain Thiago Silva is thought to prefer playing next to the former Chelsea man. Nothing against Marquinhos, but if it makes the best defender at the club happy, then Luiz will likely get the nod.

The decision will come with how Emery sees the situation. Will he bow to Silva's wishes or play the best player available, whom many believe to be the youngest of the three Brazilian defenders?

With Marquinhos away in Brazil, he doesn't have to make an instant decision, but the choice will be crucial when PSG get to the latter stages of the Champions League.

Spoiled for choice in midfield

Another area in which PSG find themselves stacked with talent is in the centre of midfield.

Emery has continued to use the 4-2-3-1 formation that he found great success with at Sevilla—winning three straight Europa League trophies—which means that unlike in Laurent Blanc's 4-3-3, only two of their talented midfielders can start each game.

Under Blanc, it was rare to see a big game without the trio of Thiago Motta, Blaise Matuidi and Marco Verratti. At their peak, it was hard to find a better midfield.

However, Motta has slowed up, Matuidi has suffered from not being given any rest for club and country and Verratti missed a huge chunk of the season through injury.

Emery moved quickly to sign Polish international Grzegorz Krychowiak after the Euros. He is likely to play a huge part in shaping the team. He is a superb defensive midfielder, an excellent passer of the ball and a shield to protect the defence.

PSG also have Adrien Rabiot and Benjamin Stambouli, plus youngsters Christopher Nkunku and Lorenzo Callegari.

That's potentially eight players; really six when we look at the first team, but still enough to give the Spanish coach a good headache.

Rabiot had done very well to push his way into the first-team picture when the preferred trio missed a lot of games last season. He will see himself as a potential starter, which will limit the chances of the fringe players.

Krychowiak and Verratti could form a fantastic partnership together, one that could shape the future of the club, but Rabiot needs to know he is wanted, and it remains to be seen if Motta and Matuidi will be happy with secondary roles in the squad—playing as experienced options from the bench.

Having too many options can be a great problem to have, with players spurring each other on to perform to their best. Competition is healthy, but sometimes it can lead to players becoming unhappy and looking elsewhere for first-team football.

The decisions Emery makes and how he deals with the consequences will shape how well PSG do in all competitions this season.