PSG's rout of Marseille encapsulated the ideas of Luis Enrique perfectly - and will only help build unity on and off the pitch
They were completely unfazed by his absence.and Ramos showed that not only can they find a way to goal, but they can work together. Ramos had spent five games trying to open his account for his new club following his move from Benfica and, with each minute that passed, the pressure only increased.
But his eye for goal and his poacher’s instincts were undimmed; he headed home ancross, and then finished a lightning counter-attack, led by Kolo Muani, to round off the rout. For Parisian Kolo Muani, his first goal, and PSG’s second, etched this night into his memory. “It was a magical night,” he said. “Unforgettable.” The performance revealed a lot about the evolution of this early-stage Luis Enrique project. Before this week, PSG had overseen the worst start to the Qatar Sports Investments era and much of that stemmed from struggling to break down low blocks and then being picked off, which Nice accomplished expertly. To remedy that, Luis Enrique opted for something new. He started four forwards against Marseille, handing Bradley Barcola, the 21-year-old forward signed from Lyon, his first start. It looked like a potential change in system but, in reality, this was a more subtle tweak to his consistent 4-3-3 set-up. Barcola just assumed the same role that midfielder has occupied for much of the campaign when in possession. The difference was that he did not rotate into a central position out of possession, essentially having fewer defensive responsibilities.Luis Enrique had identified that the spaces would be in wide areas against Marseille and that, for all of Vitinha’s midfield merits, Barcola is better equipped in one-v-one scenarios. PSG were always going to dominate the ball, particularly against a Marseille side who spent the past week beset by a crisis that saw head coach Marcelino leave. So Barcola was not going to be required to make as many defensive contributions as Vitinha did againstHe was able to stay wide, and rotate with the central forward in much the same way PSG always do on the ball. With Hakimi stepping out from defence and playing a free role in midfield, with licence to get on the ball and make sharp, inverted runs into the box, PSG maintained their 3-3-4 set-up in build-up and were able to pick holes in the opposing back five. Hakimi has been a revelation in the early weeks of the season, and it is clear that Luis Enrique is elevating his game. “He is not just a right back but a midfielder and a forward,” said Luis Enrique. “He showed that in the previous game as well. It’s a delight for a coach to have a player of this quality.”provided the security for any turnovers, with the latter throwing fire blankets on every whiff of Marseille threat. An early goal opens doors and it means the opponent has to chase the game, and there will be more times this season when PSG find a resolute low block to unpack. They will be tested again but they have the reassurance now that there are goals in other areas of the team. Defeating Marseille has become par for the course for PSG, but a performance that encapsulated the ideas of Luis Enrique to its greatest extent, without Mbappe and set to the backdrop of off and on-field unity, added a different dimension to the meaning of this Classique victory.Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.is a football writer covering Paris Saint-Germain and Fulham for The Athletic. Previously, he covered AFC Bournemouth. He joined The Athletic in August 2019.
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