Heckled for a while, sometimes a little dilettante, Paris Saint-Germain has still not reached cruising speed on Wednesday against Brest. But PSG knew how to bend the Breton team as best they could, before taking off late (3-1) to ensure their qualification for the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. And if everything has not been perfect, Luis Enrique can at least rejoice in a new guarantee which is no longer debated: his attacking trio now seems essential.
Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola carried the capital club in an evening which could have resembled a slightly too close copy of the Paris – Brest of Ligue 1 on January 28. As in the championship, PSG seemed to have done the hardest part before the break. Once again, the Parisians felt the wind of disappointment in their necks, when Steve Mounié came to reward the self-sacrifice of his team shortly after the hour mark. But this time, thanks to the talent of their front trident, they did not buckle under the pressure.
Dembélé is back, Mbappé still on his feet
Absent in Strasbourg due to muscle discomfort, Ousmane Dembélé could have been synonymous with concern before the round of 16 of the Champions League against Real Sociedad. But the French international held his place this Wednesday, and even held his place well. Spinning, he was behind Kylian Mbappé’s opener, thanks to effective pressing on the unfortunate Bradley Locko close to his penalty area. Then the former Barça winger went from involved to decisive passer for a perfect ball for Danilo Pereira – the best Parisian of the evening off the offensive line – three minutes later to make PSG’s most successful period a reality.
His eighth assist of the season remained – as often – without a goal to accompany it, the fault of his clumsiness in the finish. But his impact is obvious, he who could also have scored a double of caviars if Kylian Mbappé had not found the crossbar shortly before the break. A Mbappé still in good shape, first player this season in Europe to reach the 30-goal mark in all competitions. The Coupe de France remains one of the favorite hunting grounds for the native of Bondy, scorer for the eleventh match in a row that he started as a starter. This even when the specter of a serious injury to a Parisian attacker resurfaced on the killer tackle which led Brest’s Lilian Brassier to the locker room after a second yellow card.
As much as his usual overflowing appetite, his activity and his increasingly convincing relationship with Bradley Barcola, who started on the left, are among the main satisfactions of the evening. The former Lyonnais was sometimes imprecise, particularly in his one-on-ones. But through his runs and his percussion, he offers Kylian Mbappé a new construction option that Paris Saint-Germain so cruelly lacked on this side of the field in the first part of the season. “I am more and more comfortable with Kylianwelcomed Barcola at the microphone of BeIN Sports after the meeting. The more I play with him, the better I feel. He also knows what I want, when I go deep, or when I’m on my feet. I’m starting to know what he wants too.“
In addition to this growing understanding, the trio undoubtedly gave satisfaction to their coach Luis Enrique by their investment in losing the ball, a few months after the attack line too often waited to recover under Mauricio Pochettino. “The coach asks us to defend a lot, because we want to recover the ball high, and immediately attackconfirmed Bradley Barcola, this time to France 3. It takes a lot of effort. Today we’re getting there, it’s very good like that.” “We were put in difficulty by their transitions, their accelerations, we were more in danger when we had the ball” confirmed Stade Brestois coach Eric Roy.
If Gonçalo Ramos punctuated PSG’s evening with the breathing goal at the end of the match, the relocation of the Portuguese to the left flank says a lot about the confidence that Enrique has in his new offensive team. “My team was very inspired today” welcomed the Spanish technician. This certainty is confirmed at the best time, one week before his big European meeting.