For the fifth time in their history, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille meet on Sunday as the two highest-ranked teams in Ligue 1. Contrary to expectations, it is Marcelo Bielsa’s side leading the race after he turned the languid team of last season into a winning machine, reaping nine wins from 12 games this term. OM travel to Parc des Princes with a four-point lead over their rivals, meaning they will stay on top regardless of the outcome. However, a negative result for PSG might throw a shadow over Laurent Blanc’s prospects at the helm of a side that has failed to win half of their league games in 2014-15.
BIELSA’S MEN RUNNING OUT OF STEAM?
The excitement which surrounded the Argentinian manager’s arrival in France was followed by thrilling performances on the pitch. After an inauspicious start with a draw to Bastia and home defeat to Montpellier, the former Athletic coach imposed his fast-paced brand of football – making OM the best attacking outfit in the league this season (27 goals, averaging just over two per game) and stringing together ten straight league wins between the end of August and mid-October.
For a coach heralded as the messiah upon his signing, Bielsa has come close to turning water into wine. His open promise to make striker André-Pierre Gignac prolific again materialised as the 28-year-old was recently recalled to the France national team after 10 goals in 12 league games (joint top scorer).
His team-mates have earned the right to travel to Parc des Princes the uncontested league leaders. Their coach has brought life back into a side which looked disillusioned at various junctures last season when the nine-time French league winners, last crowned in 2010, lost home and away to PSG and AS Monaco, the country’s nouveaux riches who appeared set to dominate proceedings for years to come.
Months later the tide had turned and ASM sold Falcao and James Rodriguez, while the club from the capital looked uncharacteristically shaky against lesser opponents, dropping points against the likes of Reims, Rennes and Toulouse. Laurent Blanc’s side managed two consecutive victories only at the end of last month with a 3-0 win against Bordeaux following a convincing away victory at Lens.
Bielsa’s motivational methods yielded results but the concern is how long OM can keep up that pace. The defeat away at Lyon two weeks ago brought an end to the euphoria and there is little doubt the trip to PSG will be equally as perilous. The Parisians have not made a convincing start, although they are actually unbeaten with six wins and six draws, and they would relish nothing more than to beat their arch-rivals to cut the deficit at the top of the table.
It is expected PSG will bring an end to OM’s honeymoon under Bielsa. The Argentinian manager is known to drain his players’ physical and mental capabilities early on as his sides tend to falter over the course of a season. However the manager who led Athletic to an unlikely 2-2 draw against Barcelona back in November 2011 has clearly been planning for the face-off against PSG long in advance and might come up with another cunning plan to escape the Parc des Princes unscathed. In that event, OM would have cemented their status as candidates for the Ligue 1 title.
TO ZLATAN OR NOT TO ZLATAN?
The injury sustained by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which has kept him out of the last 10 games, played an instrumental part in the shortage of leadership visible on the pitch. Blanc’s wayward coaching failed to re-balance the team as tactics were shifted from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 and back again. The reliance on the 33-year-old Swedish star, the league’s best scorer and assist provider last season, is simply too strong and his foot injury left a void in attack. With him, PSG have won over 70 percent of their games, without him the percentage drops to 45.
60% of all #PSG merchandising revenues come from Zlatan #Ibrahimovic. Amongst them some truly bizarre items – look: pic.twitter.com/JGCkt9yGXY
— Gernot Bauer (@Sky_Gernot) November 6, 2014
The likes of Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura unexpectedly stepped up and scored five league goals each to carry an ailing side on their shoulders. Now second in Ligue 1, PSG can make a statement of intent by beating their arch-rivals and reducing their deficit to just one point on Sunday.
The prospect of Zlatan Ibrahimovic making a timely comeback was boosted on Friday as pictures of him training with his team-mates emerged, but this also highlights how insecure PSG are without him to lead the line when the league leaders visit them on Sunday.
Edinson Cavani has not looked particularly comfortable since taking the reins but he will probably start the game once again, although an appearance of the Swedish star might be planned in the latter stages of the game.
RELINQUISHING THE BALL
The clash on Sunday has the attributes of a game that will be decided in the second half. The energy displayed by Bielsa’s side away, with just one defeat to date, will be on show at the start of the game targetting PSG’s weak links on the wings.
Both sides have dominated possession in all their league games this season but it is unlikely Bielsa will fight for it in this game. With three key players missing (Ayew, Romao and Morel) the Argentinian might be tempted to sit back and wait for the right opportunity on counter-attacks. Aggressive marking and pressure high up the pitch will be central to his push for a result at Parc des Princes.
Clashes between PSG and OM have generally been decided by individual players transcended by the occasion, jumping into the limelight to take centre stage in the most anticipated game of the season. It was the case for Zlatan Ibrahimovic two years ago, the last time both sides met as joint-Ligue 1 leaders and he scored a superb brace at Stade Vélodrome. Other illustrious players before him had starred, from Ronaldinho and Pedro Pauleta in the mid-2000s for PSG to Alen Boksic and Basile Boli the decade before for OM.
H-24 : #CLASSICO #PSGOM #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/hJAx35RfvY
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) November 8, 2014
On Sunday it is primarily the confrontation between both coaches that will be scrutinised, Bielsa’s excessive adaptation to his opponents facing Blanc’s tactical rigidity. Both sides conceded 17 shots in their last game (at Nice and Nicosia) and are certainly there for the taking. More than any other game, the clash between PSG and OM is one that could be decided in the last minutes by the most resilient team.
Predicted PSG starting XI : Sirigu – Maxwell, David Luiz, Thiago Silva, Van der Wiel – Verratti, Cabaye, Matuidi – Pastore, Lucas, Cavani
Predicted OM starting XI : Mandanda – Djedje, Fanni, N’Koulou, Mendy – Payet, Lemina, Imbula – Thauvin, Alessandrini, Gignac.
