A pleasing victory, goals, and a very good reaction after a missed start and 3 points taken on the road to the title. Luis Enrique had good reasons to be smiling on Saturday night, after his PSG performance against Lille at the Parc des Princes (3-1). But one of the best news of the evening is an absence. That of Kylian Mbappé, whose ankle was spared after Lilian Brassier’s tackle in the Coupe de France, earlier in the week.
The Spanish coach chose not to take risks, avoiding starting him. And the Frenchman did not have to come off the bench to help his teammates. “He could have played, he would have played if it had been a final,” the Spaniard confided to Canal+ after the match. But it was smart on his part, and mine, to choose that he rests to be ready on Wednesday.”
A warm evening for the leaders
This winning bet hides others. This Saturday against Lille, Luis Enrique trusted a starting eleven that was very largely changed; three or four players, hardly more, will start next Wednesday in the Champions League against Real Sociedad. In addition to Kylian Mbappé, Marquinhos remained on the bench as did Gianluigi Donnarumma throughout the match. Achraf Hakimi (came on in the 69th minute) and Warren Zaïre-Emery (74th) simply kept their pace. “When your team plays every 3 days, your goal is to control the minutes,” Luis Enrique emphasized after the match. (…) We seek to ensure that a majority of players get playing time, and tonight we had a very competitive version of the team.”
On the field as well, some players took advantage of their Saturday night. Gonçalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani each scored a goal, giving them confidence before the upcoming European showdown. Substituted in the 62nd minute for Ousmane Dembélé – 30 additional minutes of rest granted to an important player, once again – Bradley Barcola was decisive on the left side of the Parisian attack. In fact, he set up Randal Kolo Muani’s second goal in the 81st minute after an exciting solo rush. We also think of the very solid performances of Nordi Mukiele and Manuel Ugarte, not really accustomed to leading roles in recent weeks. Against Lille, Luis Enrique didn’t just win; he succeeded in his plan.
