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League leaders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were held to a goalless draw by a spirited Nice side in gameweek 16 of Ligue 1 on Wednesday night.
The Parisians were without Neymar, Georginio Wijnaldum, Ander Herrera, and Julian Draxler, forcing Mauricio Pochettino to field a much-changed XI. PSG did not necessarily struggle to create clear-cut chances against Nice, but their attempts were wayward, to say the least.
Lionel Messi recovered from gastroenteritis to present his seventh Ballon d’Or at Parc des Princes and take to the field against Nice. The Argentinian did not have much joy thanks to Nice’s special defensive arrangements, but he was still PSG’s best player by a country mile. He made five key passes in the match, but none of them were met with the fate they deserved.
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Wednesday's draw handed second-placed Marseille the opportunity to bring PSG’s advantage down to nine points. Mauricio Pochettino’s side still have a considerable lead at the top of the table, but the manager must not be happy about the goalless draw. He needed a couple of convincing results to get over the Champions League defeat to Manchester City. Unfortunately, PSG could not make it happen.
As you would expect, many PSG players failed to live up to the billing against third-placed Nice on Wednesday night.
Here are the five PSG stars who particularly endured a difficult night:
#5 Nuno Mendes
After sitting on the bench against Saint-Etienne on Sunday, Nuno Mendes was given the opportunity to prove himself against Nice.
Needless to say, he could not quite make the impact he was expecting.
Mendes’ runs down the left-hand channel were impressive but had no end-product. He lost possession 14 times, completed zero dribbles and only had one tame shot on target in the second half.
#4 Idrissa Gueye
Midfielder Idrissa Gueye played in a more advanced position against Nice on Wednesday. He operated primarily as a left-central midfielder, linking up regularly with Kylian Mbappe.
His passing was decent by his standards, but he did not offer much else.
Going forward, Gueye posed little to no threat to Nice’s defenders. He only completed one long ball, could not work the keeper even once, and was dispossessed seven times.
Gueye was even dribbled past once in the match, but Nice could not do much harm from the opportunity.
#3 Angel Di Maria
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino started Angel Di Maria on the right-wing, instructing him to provide width and link up with his compatriot Lionel Messi. Di Maria did both to an extent, but could not find the end product.
The Argentine was uncharacteristically quiet against Nice and considerably less adventurous. He was reluctant to go into the opposition box and operated largely as a right-midfielder. Di Maria attempted four shots, only one of which managed to work Nice keeper Walter Benitez.
In the 51st minute, a clever lay-off by Mbappe got Di Maria one on one with Benitez. The goalkeeper came out quickly, blocking the Argentinian’s rather tame effort. Having endured a difficult night, Di Maria was subbed out for Mauro Icardi in the 77th minute.
#2 Achraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi was one of PSG’s big purchases in the summer of 2021. The right-back is one of the most promising players in world football right now, capable of setting the stage alight with his skills and pace.
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old has not quite found his footing at his new club.
PSG banked on Hakimi’s pace to take the fight to Nice. Surprisingly, Hakimi’s offensive contribution was well below expectations and he failed miserably to link up with Messi and Di Maria.
Hakimi was dispossessed 13 times, did not complete a single dribble, and only completed one of his three crosses. All in all, it was another disappointing night for the former Real Madrid man.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
PSG star Kylian Mbappe has often shone in Neymar’s absence. With the Brazilian out of the squad, he tends to get a freer role, allowing him to stretch his legs more than usual.
He usually takes the opportunity to either provide decisive passes or to have a go at goal himself. Unfortunately against Nice, he failed to do either and cut a rather frustrating figure at the top.
Physicality is one of Nice’s biggest assets, and Christophe Galtier used his team’s trait to perfection to contain Mbappe. The Frenchman was restricted to the left flank for the majority of the match, struggling to create clear goalscoring opportunities.
Surprisingly, he also failed to apply the finishing touch when presented with PSG’s best chance of the match just past the hour mark.
In the 64th minute, Messi picked up the ball in a dangerous area and found Mbappe in space on the left-wing.
Although unmarked, Mbappe lost his composure and side-footed it well wide of the Nice goal. PSG did not create any better opportunities over the course of the match.
