Reims – Paris Saint-Germain (L1, 10th day): Neymar (PSG) torchbearer, a find that looks like a chimera?

But Galtier did not do it by chance. “Regarding the position of Kylian and Messi in relation to Neymar, there was this desire to keep offensive power, because Neymar has incredible offensive power and he is very important in this device.explained the Parisian coach. But there was also a need to maintain density in the heart of the game, in particular Marco Verratti in front of the defense, because Benfica is a team that puts a lot of people inside, practically four players, and we had to protect the axis of the defense.”

The ideal compromise

Galtier is still looking for the right formula to balance his collective. He tried the bet to align his Brazilian strategist in midfield with this in mind. For a rather mixed result. Between two positions, Neymar did not have the offensive influence he has displayed since the start of the season. And his defensive contribution did not have the expected effects, despite the player’s obvious efforts. There was better in the Parisian environment but the whole still left something to be desired. Above all, the defense was still just as exposed despite the repositioning of the Auriverde star.

The Parisian coach, however, had reasons to try this option. It did not only respond to a specific logic, facing the most competitive team in the midfield that PSG has faced since the start of the season. Above all, it made him dangle the prospect of the ideal compromise: to keep this system of three central defenders that he has put in place since his arrival on the Parisian bench, while strengthening his midfield by adding a third element, without having to out of the starting XI one of his three attacking stars.

A configuration that changes everything

The idea therefore made sense for a long-term vision, not just for the trip to Lisbon. It also corresponded to a certain logic in the mind of the Parisian coach. If Leo Messi holds this role of free electron between midfield and attack in his 3-4-1-2, it is Neymar, yet considered a second striker with Mbappé, whom he has always seen as the guarantor of the Parisian collective balance. “He has this ability to repeat efforts, he has volume, intensityhe explained after the victory in Lyon (0-1). He is generous to the team.“

This was still the case against Benfica, but in a different configuration. For Neymar, it was no longer a question of dropping out of the attack to come and place himself between the lines and accelerate the game by passing and dribbling, as he knows how to do so well. But to participate in the development of offensive movements from further before projecting forward to bring the surplus in attack. His qualities can lend themselves to this mission. But the role of middle implies a dosage in the risk taking of which the Brazilian is not customary. The goal conceded by Paris in Lisbon illustrated this perfectly.

Paris has no time

The limit of this tactical choice is also defensive. There is the need to coordinate his movements with the other Parisian circles to optimize the grid of the ground and the recovery. Neymar is not used to this type of travel and it felt against Benfica. It’s legitimate for a player who plays in a much more offensive register. Stabilizing him in a torchbearer role would take time. Paris does not really have it with the very close sequence of matches in this season compacted by the World Cup.

But above all, it is not necessarily in his interest. Neymar’s impact in attack is too glaring in general, and since the start of the season in particular, for the idea of ​​taking him back a notch not to raise doubts. Galtier is certainly tempted to insist on this path. But she looks like a chimera. The Parisian coach will more likely have to turn to another option in the search for his collective balance. Even if it means sacrificing his system by switching to 4-3-3? Or a star of his attack to keep his 3-5-2? The problem remains. But repositioning Neymar isn’t necessarily the best way to solve it.