Paris Saint-Germain is a powder keg, even if President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and sports guru Luis Campos put on a poker face side by side in the presidential box. On Luis Enrique’s debut at the Parque de los Príncipes, the team delivered a harmless monologue of football rhetoric against Lorient (0-0). With no fangs or depth, little individual resource or, at such an early stage for a newly arrived technician, collective lubrication. Kylian Mbappé watched it all from the stands, accompanied by his brother and Ousman Dembélé, who also held a seat on the bench on his first day in charge and whose inclusion on social media was welcomed by the French star who wants Real Madrid. There has been no news about Neymar save for a club publication in which he suggested he has recovered from ‘viral syndrome’ and another on Instagram where he is said to be in the gym at the team’s training centre. He was not seen in the Bois de Boulogne.
PSG’s poor performance warns of the difficulties of Luis Enrique, whose side shared flaws similar to the worst version of the Spanish side he was coaching in their bitter farewell in Qatar. The Paris side collected passes, kneading the ball in search of space or dominance, but they didn’t materialize as Lorient openly gave in and even on his only attacking excursion of the game, he managed to hit the post through a lone Ranger. Luis Enrique’s plan didn’t work out despite the fatigue of the rival who struggled in the final minutes, especially as Fabián’s arrival on the pitch gave PSG a boost. In the end, the Portuguese Gonçalo Ramos, who was looking for final positions but found few supplies, scored. And on the hour, the self-sacrificing Uruguayan midfielder Ugarte almost broke the equaliser. There was effort but a lack of talent, abundance and rhythm in a team with too many uncertainties.
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Meanwhile in Munich, one of Luis Enrique’s favorites during his time with the national team slipped into Harry Kane’s long-awaited party. Dani Olmo scored three goals in the record that Leipzig gave to Bayern in the German Super Cup (0:3). The English artilleryman, who had just completed a light morning exercise with his new comrades after leaving London amid intrigue, had half an hour to spare. Just got a game.
The game was dominated by Leipzig, which marked a defensive inaccuracy by Bayern at the beginning. On the edge of the break, Olmo presented himself with a roulette wheel, which marked the start of another goal. Tuchel, who wanted to respect the hierarchy of footballers who had won the Bundesliga in the eleven, called up Korean Minjae at half-time to replace the too-soft Dutchman De Ligt. Neither toughness helped Bayern, however, who futilely locked in their rival and ended up defeated after a penalty that saw Dani Olmo cap off a great evening.
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