Unai Emery's PSG Squad Rotation Leaves Manager with Tricky Decisions to Make

Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 Coupe de la Ligue victory over Lille on Wednesday broke a three-match winless streak. 

It was the first time in over a month that the usually free-scoring Parisians managed more than two goals in a game, and despite Lille's late consolation effort, their defence was vastly improved. 

Summer signing Jese Rodriguez got his first goal from open play, and Lucas Moura continued his fine season with a brace. 

All good news for previously under-pressure manager Unai Emery, who had gambled by making eight changes from his side's frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Nice on Sunday.

PSG are the three-time defending champions of the Coupe de la Ligue, and failure to advance past an underperforming Lille would have been a rather limp end to their reign. 

Emery, his own man to a fault, evidently felt none of the pressure of Paris' history in this tournament or of their three games without a win in all competitions.

Instead, the Spaniard demonstrated admirable confidence by handing starting roles to a handful of academy players and youngsters in need of minutes. 

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One suspects that if the manager feared for his immediate future, he would not have selected Presnel Kimpembe, Christopher Nkunku and Jean-Kevin Augustin. 

He was rewarded for his confidence with a fine performance. 

In one of PSG's most comprehensive displays of their stop-start season so far, Lille were swept aside. Unfortunately, that means Emery has created a problem for himself. 

Where his starters have been consistently disappointing, fringe members of his squad have taken their opportunities to perform and thus provided Emery with a problem. 

Kevin Trapp, who vanquished longtime club servant Salvatore Sirigu in the battle for the No. 1 shirt last season, has been supplanted in this campaign by Alphonse Areola.

Areola though, has been poor. Uncertain in the air and seemingly unwilling to trust his judgement on long shots, he has repeatedly been beaten from distance. The 23-year-old's stock has fallen considerably during this campaign.

Trapp welcomed Areola's return from his third consecutive loan spell in the summer but has been only tangentially involved so far.

In July, Trapp told reporters: "There is strong competition in almost every position, and in teams like this, it is necessary to have that. Everybody wants to show their best, and then it is up to the coach to decide."

That, then, is the rub. 

Emery made his choice in pre-season and has stuck with Areola despite his difficulties. 

Trapp has given an unblemished, although largely uninvolved, performance against Lille and, in his own words, it is up to the coach to decide. 

It is not only in goal that Emery faces these difficult decisions. 

The departure of David Luiz in the summer was largely viewed as a sensible move, as it meant Marquinhos would play more regularly in the centre of defence with Thiago Silva. How better for Marquinhos to continue to develop his game than playing alongside the former Brazil captain and regular UEFA Team of the Year member?

Unfortunately, their stylistic similarities have so far made for an inelegant partnership. Where Luiz would advance and attack a player in possession, both Silva and Marquinhos prefer to avoid confrontation and instead anticipate problems with their positioning.

Against Lille, Silva was rested and Kimpembe was given another opportunity to show his quality. He did so and more. 

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Kimpembe's swashbuckling interventions kept PSG constantly on the front foot while Marquinhos was able to play the calm caretaker in behind.

This is not the first time the 21-year-old has added a welcome aggression to the team's otherwise hesitant back line. In only two of his 12 appearances this season have the Parisians failed to claim victory. 

No one would advocate leaving Silva on the sidelines, but the temptation to deploy a more balanced partnership must exist in Emery's mind. The fact Kimpembe is also an academy graduate would ease such a controversial decision. 

Fellow youth-team standout Augustin did not do enough against Lille to oust Edinson Cavani from the starting lineup, but what he did do was produce the kind of selfless display that allowed Lucas to thrive. The Brazilian revelled in the space that Augustin's unceasing running helped to create. The 24-year-old, at his magical best, scored twice and could easily have had more. 

Cavani will deservedly regain his place, and his selfishness is what has helped him plunder 22 goals in 20 appearances this season. But he could stand to emulate Augustin's self-sacrifice a little more often. 

This was an opportunity for the lesser lights to shine—none more so than Grzegorz Krychowiak. 

After the match, Krychowiak told L'Equipe that he considered it to be his best performance since joining the club. 

While that is not setting a particularly high bar, the Pole was noticeably more at ease against Lille than he has tended to be in his brief PSG career so far. 

Emery's unyielding support of his former Sevilla charge must be a source of great confidence. The fact he has begun justifying that faith complicates things in midfield too. 

Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta are fit once again, and Blaise Matuidi is wasted in a wide role. Even young Nkunku is pushing for more game time.

The manager has created a tricky situation for himself, with so many of his fringe players shining in roles in which their senior counterparts have struggled. 

To drop Kimpembe after another fine display would be harsh, yet Emery cannot realistically make room for him.

Areola, whose confidence must already be fragile, might be shattered by losing his place. 

Even Angel Di Maria, who has struggled to find anything like his best form in this campaign, could fairly be sidelined for Jese, yet that would risk creating a rift between manager and star. 

At the same time, though, those players who have performed well when given the chance could justifiably feel poorly treated if they do not retain their places.

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It is obvious that rotating his squad was the right decision.

It is equally evident that those fringe players performing well is broadly positive. 

Unfortunately, it seems that such is the luck of Emery's first months in charge at the Parc des Princes that there is no good news without corresponding bad. 

While the pressure of disastrous results has abated, the pressure of keeping his disjointed squad happy is only just beginning.