Flashes of Greatness from Edinson Cavani Lifts PSG Past Bordeaux

Paris Saint-Germain picked up their fifth league win of the season on Saturday afternoon, beating Girondins de Bordeaux 2-0 to move up to third in the Ligue 1 table.

After losing away at Monaco and Toulouse, there was a little bit of pressure on PSG manager Unai Emery going into the game, so it was a surprise that he only made two changes from the side that beat Ludogorets 3-1 in Bulgaria in the Champions League.

Layvin Kurzawa came in for Maxwell and Thomas Meunier replaced the suspended Serge Aurier. That meant it was a very familiar 4-3-3 formation, with Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta starting in the middle.

With defeat unthinkable, the pressure sat firmly on the shoulders of Angel Di Maria, Lucas Moura and Edinson Cavani to pave the way to goals.

Emery admitted in his pre-match press conference:

"We need to win this match on Saturday. Confidence is very important and you only build it by winning matches. So it's great that we got the win against Ludogorets. We'll need to do the same thing against Bordeaux. We need to string the wins together. Right now we're in fourth place, but we need to stay calm if we're to win in on Saturday."

The Spanish boss would have hoped and expressed a need for a quick start on Saturday, especially after going 1-0 down in Sofia. PSG flew out of the blocks, and Bordeaux were never given a chance.

In the third minute, Di Maria did brilliantly to create half a yard of space on the left. His cross was whipped into the near post, and Uruguayan striker Cavani was there to add the finish.

He had made a superb run across both Bordeaux centre-backs before glancing a great headed effort low past Cedric Carrasso.

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L'action complète du 1er but de #Cavani contre Bordeaux #PSG pic.twitter.com/xosDh4SsVS

— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) October 1, 2016"

Verratti told the PSG website after the game: 

"

It was a good game. We scored early and that made the game easier. We maintained our rhythm throughout. We have to thank Edi, because he was extraordinary. It was the perfect scenario for us. We need to continue like this. The atmosphere was fantastic. That’s what football is all about, the communion with the supporters.

"

The reason behind the improved atmosphere was the recent development that allowed a number of their famous Ultra supporters back into the Parc des Princes. For years they have been banned after a spate of terrible clashes (link in French), some among their own supporters.

Working together with the club and the police, fans who have gone through an ID check process were allowed back in, instantly improving the matchday atmosphere at the stadium.

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j'ai envie de faire un bisou a pascal praudf pic.twitter.com/DJoVa05ui7

— philippe (@philousports) October 1, 2016"

It seemed to spur the team on. Compared to the last few games, the passing was quicker and the midfield played with a much higher tempo, and that helped the Parisians dominate manager Jocelyn Gourvennec’s visitors.

On the half-hour mark, the game was put beyond the reach of Les Girondins. Kurzawa burst forward—a feature of the PSG attack that has been missing in recent weeks—and his low, driven cross was aimed towards Cavani. The striker somehow managed to flick the ball with the inside of his left boot, steering it beyond Carrasso.

It was another instinctive finish from the Uruguayan. That takes his tally for the season to 11 goals—he has eight in Ligue 1 and three in the Champions League. The fact that it was taken him only nine games to achieve this is excellent.

Yet it is exactly what we have come to expect from Edinson.

The Uruguayan is a complex character. It is far too early for the likes of L’Equipe and Le Parisien to be lauding over his performance because we’ve seen this all before.

If any other striker had the same record, there would be no doubting his ability. However, this is Cavani. Too many games and too many missed chances have passed to be completely forgotten after two goals against a Bordeaux side that failed to turn up.

This is his fourth season in the French capital, and the opinion from onlookers who perhaps don’t watch every game, or dip in and out, is that he’s a top-class striker.

You see the work rate, you see the movement, and his goal record suggests he is the complete package.

It's the people who watch week in, week out who need convincing—the fans who see the huge amount of chances he doesn’t put away, the games where his touch is off or he goes missing.

Everyone wants him to do well. He is PSG’s only recognised No. 9, but he needs to have faith shown in him, and the fans in the crowd need to get behind him. But it’s far too early to suggest that the “El Matador” Napoli fans lauded over in Serie A is truly back.

Let’s wait until we get to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and we’ll see if he adds to the three goals he has scored for the Parisian club in the tournament already.

Saturday was a perfect example of his instinctive finishing, with two superb, typically Cavani finishes. His second goal was a sublime piece of improvisation—something Zlatan would have been proud of.

Outside of the goals, the 29-year-old had four shots, touched the ball just 26 times—10 of them in and around the box—and attempted just 16 passes, according to WhoScored.com.

Eleven of those passes came in the middle of the park and just two in his own half. It's safe to say the forward is playing on the fringes of possession. He's not involved until the last moment, maybe even the final touch.

That's where PSG want him to be and where he's needed. However, it can be a little one dimensional at times, and against the top clubs, they have players who can cope with that and mark him out of the game.

He really should have completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute when Lucas put a chance on a plate for the Uruguayan, but once he opened up his body, the right-foot shot was predictable and weak—a glimpse of the Cavani that attracts condemnation.

When you spend time criticising a striker’s goalless games, you also have to praise him when it's due. On Saturday, he deserved the plaudits.

That’s what makes him such a frustrating player. You know he has it, but you want him to produce when it matters most.

You could say that Saturday's game was a must-win, so Emery will be happy that the Uruguayan stepped up.

As far as challenges go, PSG’s fixture list gets a little easier in October and November. AS Nancy away is next, followed by FC Basel at home. They then welcome struggling Marseille to the Parc des Princes.

That is a fixture in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic always raised his game. Cavani will be expected to do the same.

With Lille and Basel away to follow, then Rennes and Nantes back in Paris, it’s not really until they face Arsenal at the Emirates on November 23 that more will be expected of the former Palermo hitman.

That game could decide who comes top of their Champions League group. That’s the game you want your best players to prove their worth. That’s the game where if he scores and helps the team to victory, you can shower him with praise. Not before.