Two almost similar actions, on which the Parisian side surely dreamed of having eyes behind their backs. Two short moments when Nuno Mendes on the hour mark (63rd) and Achraf Hakimi, ten minutes later (76th), let Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva escape behind them. Assists for Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, for the two goals of the victory (2-1) of Manchester City against Paris Saint-Germain, the two Citizens changed the fate of the match on Wednesday, November 24.
These two actions during the second half perfectly sum up the hell experienced by the two Parisian side on the lawn of the Etihad Stadium. Overtaken by City’s passing circuits, made of incessant reversals from one side of the field to the other, Hakimi and Mendes saw the Manchester City players tumble in front of them, behind them, next to them.
As nothing escapes the strategist Pep Guardiola, the latter had surely insisted on his proteges to pass to the sides, stretch the defense to put in difficulty the two Parisian side, generally more focused on the offensive than on the defense. For the fifth Champions League match of his career, Nuno Mendes had the greatest difficulty in the world to take the measure of his opponent. Of his adversaries.
Riyad Mahrez, well helped by Walker’s splits or dives in the back of the defense of Ilkay Gündogan and Bernardo Silva, had fun against the 19-year-old Portuguese defender. Nuno Mendes could even have been caught by the VAR in the first period for a contentious contact in the area with the Algerian. But he did well and even offered the first strike on target from PSG in this meeting (27th) after a tumble in the Manchester City camp.
But the defensive wanderings of the side, on loan from Sporting Portugal, have reflected. In the first leg, when PSG won at the Parc des Princes against Manchester City (2-0), Nuno Mendes was helped by a great Idrissa Gueye. The latter had spent the entire second period as a left defender to support Mendes. Dropped, alone, no longer helped by the attacking trio, Mendes had a lot of trouble standing out (10 balls hit in the opposing camp only) and keeping the ball.
0 – Paris has not won any of its last 4 trips to the Champions League (2 draws, 2 losses). The Parisian club completed a group stage of LoC without any success outside its bases for the first time since 2004/05. Timid. #MCIPSG pic.twitter.com/efZJzzxlmn
– OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 24, 2021
Eight lost balls, the same total as Hakimi. The finding is even more worrying for the Moroccan side. If he still recovered eight balls in this match, the highest total on the Paris side, and saved an opportunity on his line (18th), Hakimi was not at his ease. Defensively, with this fault on the second Mancunian goal where he marks Gabriel Jesus rather than covering Bernardo Silva behind his back, but also offensively, the area in which he generally excels.
For many weeks, the Moroccan has only been a shadow of himself. Evidenced by this poorly negotiated center in the second period, while PSG had a good opportunity to double the stake five minutes after the opening scoring of Kylian Mbappé (55th). Hakimi has not managed any cross in the game for 14 games and the meeting against Reims on August 29 (2-0), when he delivered an assist.
More generally, the two Parisian full-backs seem to be in difficulty in a system with four defenders which highlights their defensive flaws more than their offensive qualities. And when they are not helped by their teammates, it gives the two goals conceded by PSG tonight. “They (Manchester City players) do this all the time (knock over on the other side behind the back of the defense), we had worked on him in training to defend well, explained Marquinhos after the meeting at the microphone of Canal +. But they were superior on the sides and they turned the game well in the box in a few seconds and it gave those goals.“, underlined the captain of the PSG.
What feed regrets for the Parisian team, in which Hakimi and Nuno Mendes lived a bad evening. And to make matters worse, the Portuguese came out injured in the middle of the second period (67th).