Les Parisiens work hard, but are not rewarded!
Paris Saint-Germain and FC Lorient's Ligue 1 opener ended in a draw, after an encounter which our Rouge et Bleu largely dominated (0-0). A look back on the match.
It was time for the curtain to come up! After the tour in Asia, the Parc des Princes was back to usual business on this summer's evening. At the dawn of a new era that promises to be exciting for Les Rouge et Bleu, our Parisians took on Lorient to dive straight into the deep end of the 2023-24 campaign. It was Luis Enrique's first match as coach of Paris Saint-Germain in this majestic setting. The Spanish coach concocted a new look side for the occasion: From Milan Skriniar and Gonçalo Ramos to Lucas Hernandez, Manuel Ugarte, Lee Kang-in and Marco Asensio, no fewer than 6 new signings featured in the starting eleven.
New faces, a Parc that was already bouncing and the warmth of a summer evening: all of the ingredients were in place for Luis Enrique's first outing at home. On Saturday evening, the objective for our Rouge et Bleu was clear: to be proactive and offer a consistent and complete team performance, from the first to the 95th minute!
However, their reunion with Ligue 1 also meant a return to a configuration that they are more than used to: a pronounced taste for defence! And Lorient were no exception. In other words, apart from a few flashes of brilliance on the counter-attack, they had no hesitation in defending as a unit, without trying to cross the halfway line. For this first outing, the home side would therefore need to be patient and creative if they were to find a way into the back of the Merlus net...
The Parisians took the game by the scruff of the neck, camping in front of their defence, varying the weapons they used to create danger and enjoyed a huge amount of possession. We saw new connections being created, intensity in the press, great application in the recovery. All that was missing was a little spark or a touch of luck!
And although the "attack vs. defence" feel continued into the second half, it was the Rouge et Bleu who gained ground in this game! The progress made by the Parisians in this game was reflected in their ever-increasing pressure at the start of the second half, with Lee Kang-in creating dangerous opportunities on several occasions, both in play and from set-pieces! Luis Enrique's changes then injected a new dynamic, symbolised by Fabian Ruiz, who went close to breaking the deadlock!
Unfortunately, even though the home side showed all the good intentions in the world, they were just one goal short of giving their fans a first win of the season. After this instructive encounter, Les Parisiens will be travelling to Toulouse in a week's time for their very first away game.