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Luis Enrique Still Searching for Left-Back Solution at PSG
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- Luis Enrique Still Searching for Left-Back Solution at PSG
Luis Enrique Still Searching for Left-Back Solution at PSG
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In four official matches, Luis Enrique has already fielded four different left-backs this season at PSG. Nuno Mendes returns from suspension on Sept. 9, but for Friday's match against Monaco, his backup remains a mystery.
Nuno Mendes against Aston Villa (2-1), Lucas Digne against Lens (1-0), Lucas Hernandez against Rennes (2-2) and Warren Zaire-Emery against Lille (2-2) . One player per match for the same position. Luis Enrique insists that his choices say more than his words, and this start to the season shows that the PSG coach is not fully satisfied with his left-backs. Nuno Mendes's suspension after his red card in the Trophee des Champions against Lens forced Luis Enrique to do without the Portuguese for three matches. In his absence, no one stood out.
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It is clear that the former Sporting CP player will remain the No. 1 this season. Starting Sept. 9, the date of the first Champions League matchday against Slovan Bratislava (9 p.m.) and the end of Mendes' suspension, the Parisian No. 25 will once again be undisputed in the corridor. But his backup remains unclear. In the event of another Nuno Mendes absence, who would Luis Enrique turn to?
A question PSG tried to answer this summer during the transfer window was whether to sign Lucas Digne. On Aug. 9, the full-back returned to Paris from Aston Villa for a transfer of €7M. Experience, French international, former club player... Lucas Digne checked many boxes to become the ideal backup for Nuno Mendes. But neither his match in the Trophee des Champions nor his appearance at Lille allowed him to score points.
At Bollaert, he naively allowed Florian Thauvin to exploit the space behind him to score the only goal of the match, while at Pierre-Mauroy, his attitude on Bakwa's goal was not reassuring at all. Publicly described as a "reliable player" by Luis Enrique on Aug. 22, Digne quickly lost a place that seemed within reach. Arriving on Monday, Aug. 10, at the Campus PSG after playing in the World Cup with France, he still has to adjust to the PSG method and regain full physical capacity.
"He needs to wake up," an internal source told L'Equipeon Monday. "He came accepting this backup role, fine, but he's not on vacation or in pre-retirement. We're not saying that's the case, but we won't accept that. He has to fight and try to be better than Nuno because Nuno won't play every match. He has to battle; that's also part of his adaptation phase."
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"There is no complacency; he will fight to earn minutes and complete matches," Digne's camp responded, via L'Equipe, assuring that he is "ultra-determined" and fully aware of the level of demand required by PSG.
On Matchday 1 of Ligue 1, at Rennes, Lucas Hernandez was preferred over him. A strong choice by Luis Enrique, given that the former Bayern Munich player should play more in the centre than in the corridor this season. But he, too, did not really convince.
The headache is such that, at Lille, for Matchday 2 of Ligue 1, Luis Enrique fielded Warren Zaire-Emery on the left side of the defence. "Warren can play anywhere, at a very high level on any side. Last year he was sensational on the right side, and he played very well on the left side for me," the 56-year-old coach said after the draw (2-2). A public defence, but the player's unfamiliarity with the position showed during the match.
The duo Ethan Mbappe and Tiago Santos exposed a Zaire-Emery already lacking references in this unfamiliar area. On several occasions, he left spaces behind him that Ethan Mbappe was happy to exploit, so much so that the Parisian No. 33 received a 3/10 in our match ratings and finished the match in midfield. Appreciated for his great versatility by Luis Enrique, he may have shown that the left corridor was one of his limitations last Friday in the North.
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In this context, the Parisian staff is preparing to host AS Monaco on Friday for Matchday 3 of Ligue 1. Nuno Mendes will serve his last match of suspension and will therefore still be absent. With Luis Enrique, it is always difficult to predict lineups. So, good luck to anyone who can guess today the identity of the left-back who will start against the Monégasques.
