Paris Saint-Germain – Lorient: A Case For Why You Should Play Your Best Player (0-0)

A tactical stalemate called out for a player who finished last season as the top scorer in Ligue 1. A new look Paris Saint-Germain dominated possession against Lorient, but struggled to find answers to the questions posed to them, like are you aware that Kylian Mbappé is still your player? 
Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

There is rarely a summer where PSG do not endeavour to self-sabotage, but even still this summer was spectacular in their wanton self-destruction. Even the appointment of Luis Enrique as manager could do little to distract from the endless conflicts and missteps that plague the club.

Instead, the new manager finds himself in charge of a fractured dressing room that has just lost the greatest player to ever live in Lionel Messi and is unable to field fourteen players that the club has purposefully ostracised, most notably Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. 

There were of course concerns about the viability of playing Messi, Mbappé, and Neymar in the same team but the facts are that these players alone contributed more goals and assists than the rest of the squad combined last season. Replacing just one of these players would be difficult, but Luis Enrique is currently being asked to find a way to replace all three. 

The first matchday squad represented this particular conundrum for Luis Enrique with six players making their debut in the 4-3-3 formation. Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal, behind a back four of debutants Lucas Hernandez and Milan Škriniar and old faces Danilo Pereira and Achraf Hakimi. Manuel Ugarte made his first start at the base of midfield next to Warren Zaïre-Emery and Vitinha. The front three was made . . .