4 positives and 1 negative as PSG thrash Nice in dominant performance

In their last game before the International break, Paris Saint-Germain easily dominated Nice 4-0 at the Allianz Riviera on Matchday 27. The victory sent Paris at the top of the league one point clear of RC Lens with one game in hands left to play for the European Champions.

Here are the positives and negative following PSG's dominant display against Nice.

Positives and negative as PSG crush Nice in dominant performance

Positive: Nuno Mendes offers solution to ongoing penalty problem

It has been a recurring theme over the last twelve months or so that PSG’s penalty takers have been extremely inconsistent from the spot. Vitinha has missed a number of spot kicks for the club, and Ousmane Dembélé has also been inconsistent from twelve yards. Certainly it hasn’t helped that PSG have often changed penalty taker over the period – but if yesterday’s game is anything to go by, the might have finally found a first choice spot kick taker, with Nuno Mendes cooly dispatching his effort and perhaps staking a claim to become PSG’s first choice penalty taker.

Positive: Young Dro Fernandez gets off the mark for his new club

PSG fans will have been delighted with what little they have seen from Dro Fernandez, their winter acquisition from Barcelona, so far. His confident flourishes and exciting cameos have been a feature of a number of games since his signing, with yesterday seeing him score for the first time in PSG colours, sliding a cool finish past Nice shot-stopper Yehvann Diouf. It was a great moment for the youngster, who will hope to get more minutes in the coming weeks.

Positive: Désiré Doué amongst the goals with a confident finish

Désiré Doué has been criticised at times for his diminished output this season, but it’s important to remember that he has suffered with injuries and that he is perhaps only now getting back up to full fitness. The French international smashed home a goal yesterday that will do him a world of good, with Luis Enrique and PSG fans no doubt hoping that he can be a key player in PSG’s run in, both domestically and on the continental front.

Positive: PSG’s game in hand over Lens gives them a small margin of error

PSG are only one point clear at the top of Ligue 1 at the moment, but have a game in hand over their closest challengers Lens, meaning that they have a small margin for error in the upcoming fixtures, and that any dropped points might not be overly catastrophic. PSG will still have to be focused to retain the French title with Lens not showing any real signs of slowing down but on paper, they’re very much in the driving seat at the moment, with the clash between PSG and Lens in April still looking decisive.

Negative: PSG again struggle to create from open play before Nice red card

It’s hard to pick out a negative from such a dominant performance, but if you have to choose something, it would be worth looking at the issues PSG have at times had breaking teams down this season, with the French Champions struggling to create clear cut opportunities from open play before Mendes slotted home the first goal from the spot. Eventually a red card to Nice’s Youssouf Ndayishimiye opened the game up further, but PSG will perhaps look to become a bit sharper in scenarios where they face deep blocks, as it has been an issue at times this season.