Marseille 1-0 PSG - 3 takeaways as Paris fall in Le Classique

PSG fell 1-0 at the hands of Olympique de Marseille in Le Classique, their first loss to their rivals in 14 years in the Stade Vélodrome. The European Champions registered their first defeat of the season as several of their key players were sidelined through injuries, including, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Joao Neves and Bradley Barcola.

Meanwhile, Dembélé received his first Ballon d'Or at the ceremony in Paris rewarding his historical 2024 - 2025 campaign as he led his side to a treble (Champions League, Coupe de France, Ligue 1)

Three takeaways as PSG lose 1-0 to Marseille in Le Classique

1. Lucas Chevalier's costly mistake

After his remarkable debut with PSG, Lucas Chevalier has made his first big mistake with Paris. The French international goalkeeper misjudged a cross from Greenwood and failed to claim it which left the goal empty has Nayef Aguerd headed the ball into the net.

This mistake came early in the game and gave plenty of momentum to the hosts as they managed to hold onto their lead to secure their first home Le Classique win in 14 years. Not only it cost the game to his side, but it will likely give ammunition to his critics as Gianluigi Donnarumma received the Yashin Trophy on the same night.

PSG and Luis Enrique brought him in partly for his command of the box and his ball-playing ability which were deemed superior to the Donnarumma's. Hopefully, Chevalier will be able to bounce back from this and once again prove his talent as the European Champions will face Barcelona next week.

2. Gonçalo Ramos struggled again

The Portuguese striker is an important element of the squad, despite mostly being considered as a back-up. His role as an impact player off the bench as been fruitful for him and the team as they went on to write history last season.

However, the former Benfica star who has been linked for a move away last summer has had tremendous difficulties to be impactful when he was given the opportunity to start for Paris by Luis Enrique. His game against Marseille in Le Classique is just another example of it.

Against Atalanta in the Champions League, his coach opted to start Senny Mayulu in the false nine position which proved to be a great choice as PSG dominated this game while Gonçalo Ramos came off the bench to score their fourth goal of the night.

With so many players sidelined through injury, the Portuguese had a perfect chance to prove that he could be more than a super-sub, but failed at every chances he was given so far.

3. Luis Enrique's tactical choice did not pay off

Last night was contrasted for Luis Enrique, the Spaniard was awarded the Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy, rewarding the best coach of the season after leading his team to a treble last season. At the same time, he also registered his first loss in Le Classique.

To start the game, the former Barcelona coach opted for a 3-5-2 system with a back three composed of Marquinhos, Pacho and Zabarnyi while Kvaratskhelia and Gonçalo Ramos led the frontline. Though, this system gave more offensive liberty to Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi, it also failed to create any significant threat to Marseille as Ramos struggled to combine with Kvaratskhelia and the midfield against a well-organised team.

Obviously, this tactical change was dictated by the several injuries suffered by the French Champions but is there any chance to see Luis Enrique use this system more often in the future ?

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