Facing Bordeaux Gives Unai Emery the Chance to Switch Things Up at PSG

Paris Saint-Germain return to league action on Saturday afternoon as they host Girondins de Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes following their 3-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Ludogorets.

The Bulgarian side pushed them hard for huge portions of Wednesday’s match, and if Cosmin Moti had tucked away his second-half penalty, the result could have been much different.

PSG have to improve, and Unai Emery has to find a way to get the best out of his side. That won’t be easy when they take on a Bordeaux team who have made a flying start to the season.

Three points, that’s all I take from this game. The performance was not very good, alot to work on for Emery and the players. #PSG

— Andreas Karlsson (@AndKarlsson) September 28, 2016

“The beginning of the match was very tough; it’s never simple when you don’t know your opponent so well,” Thiago Silva commented in the post-match press conference. “After conceding we managed to take control of the match and create a lot of chances. We’re happy with the result, even though it was hard fought.”

Lessons will need to be learned quickly, and Les Girondins will offer a similar test.

Part of their quick start has come from the arrival of their new coach. Like PSG, Bordeaux also appointed a new manager in the summer, taking Jocelyn Gourvennec from EA Guingamp to the Stade Matmut Atlantique.

He is a manager the Parisians know well, and despite PSG’s four consecutive Ligue 1 crowns, the former Marseille player has a relatively good record against the capital club.

Gourvennec won promotion to Ligue 1 with the Breton side in 2013, and just four weeks into the new campaign, he was faced with a huge test. Just like he will on Saturday, he took on PSG at the Parc des Princes.

The record books will always show a 2-0 home win, but it was far from comfortable.

#L1WK1 @mattspiro looks at music loving @girondins boss #Gourvennechttps://t.co/jgBQR1CQmk

— Ligue1 (@Ligue1_ENG) August 13, 2016

Guingamp set up playing 4-3-3, loading the midfield with Mustapha Diallo and Younousse Sankhare providing power and toughness. Captain Lionel Mathis added some guile and experience to try to read the game.

Up front, similar to what Ludogorets did on Wednesday, the attack was filled with pace: Claudio Beauvue on the left, Fatih Atik on the right and the imposing Mustapha Yatabare leading the line.

The home side dominated the game—with 20 shots on goal, nine on target, and over 60 per cent possession—but EAG and Mamadou Samassa held firm, until the 91st minute.

With Guingamp close to winning a historic point, Adrien Rabiot—who came on for Javier Pastore with 26 minutes to go—found the back of the net with a left-foot shot as the game entered injury time.

Zlatan …

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