4 positives and 2 negatives from PSG’s thumping Champions League win over Chelsea

Paris Saint-Germain outclassed Chelsea 5-2 at the Parc des Princes in the first-leg of their Champions League Round of 16. An impressive offensive display from Dembélé, Barcola and Kvaratskhelia lifted the European Champions to a crucial victory over their rivals

Here are the positives and the negatives from their dominant display against the Blues.

Four negative and two positives as PSG dominated Chelsea

Positive: PSG look back to their devastating best in Champions League

First things first, this was a much better performance from PSG. While it wasn’t a 90-minute sustained spell of domination akin to their displays at home to Liverpool and Aston Villa last season (or indeed in the final vs Inter Milan), they certainly controlled enough of the game to comfortably deserve to win, and overall looked quicker and sharper than they have done at times this season. While perhaps not the very best team display of PSG’s season, it was overall a reminder to Europe that beating PSG will be no easy task for anyone this season, as the Parisians look to retain their European crown.

Positive: Individual quality shines through in attack

On the big nights, the big players have to turn up, and that was exactly what happened for PSG last night. Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all scored outstanding individual goals, and Desiré Doué also chipped in with a quality assist. It was a night where PSG needed their star forwards to make the difference and to be on song, and they certainly were, with Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia in particular arguably putting in their best performances of the season so far. Having so many offensive weapons in their arsenal is arguably PSG’s biggest strength, and last night proved once again that they should not be underestimated.

Positive: Parisians victorious in midfield battle

Midfield was seen as a key area before the game, as Chelsea’s physical trio of Reece James, Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez looked to be a good match for PSG’s slighter, more technical partnership of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Warren Zaire Emery.

However, Chelsea’s midfield was noticeably misfiring, as both James and Fernandez were caught out at times on the ball, while Caicedo, although defensively solid, wasn’t able to control the game at any point. In fact, it was PSG’s midfield that came out on top, with Neves in particular looking back to his very best, man marking Cole Palmer almost out of the game, while Vitinha and Zaire-Emery progressed the ball with elegance, particularly in the decisive final 30 minutes.  

Positive: Luis Enrique wins tactical battle and makes astute substitutions

One key point of difference between the two sides was the contrasting nature of their attacking substitutes. Luis Enrique went to win the game, turning the screw by introducing Kvaratskhelia at a key point, and the Georgian proved to be an astute introduction, as he went on to score two brilliant goals. As for Enrique’s counterpart Liam Rosenior, his introduction of Liam Delap proved far less inspired and well times, as Joao Pedro was looking very dangerous for the Blues before his removal with 10 minutes to go. Somewhat predictably, Delap fluffed the only chance he got, on a late breakaway. A contrast in squad depth, yes, but also in game management, with Enrique’s experience and tactical astuteness making a big difference at a key point in the game.

Negative: Defence looked extremely open, and PSG lucky not to concede more

All of this being said, this wasn’t a vintage or dominant performance from PSG, who were arguably quite lucky to not be trailing by the time Filip Jorgensen handed them victory on a silver platter with 20 minutes to play. Their defensive line looked vulnerable, particularly against the pace of Pedro Neto, with Marquinhos struggling to keep up with the Portuguese winger.

Chelsea in the first half always seemed to find a spare man, with Malo Gusto’s goal coming from a lapse in defensive concentration from Nuno Mendes and Bradley Barcola. In truth, last night’s score-line should be enough to see PSG into the quarters, but had Chelsea’s attackers picked the right pass at some key moments, it might have been a very different scenario.

Negative: Tie not quite over, and given PSG’s history, complacency would be a mistake

While on paper, it seems all but a guarantee that PSG will eventually qualify for the quarter-finals, next week’s game is weighed down by the weight of history and the number of times that PSG have thrown away Champions League ties in promising positions in the past. Chelsea in 2014, Barcelona in 2017 and Manchester United in 2019 all seemed to be just as, if not more, certain to be wins going into the second legs, only for PSG to miraculously throw each of those three ties away. Those were different PSG sides, with only Marquinhos really left over from any of them, but it’s worth highlighting that complacency would be a big mistake for the Parisians going into what could be a difficult away game at Stamford Bridge.