Ancelotti needs to avoid becoming a tinkerman
GettyImagesZlatan Ibrahimovich scored a brace and is likely to start again in the cup Having turned the corner and ended the so-called 'crisis' at the Parc des Princes with Saturday's emphatic 4-0 win over Troyes, Carlo Ancelotti's men face a tough trip to title-chasing Saint-Etienne if they want to advance to the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue.
With the pair vying for top spot in Ligue 1, the match gives PSG a chance to redeem themselves for last month's home defeat against les Verts which started the capital club's recent sticky run of form. Christophe Galtier's men ran out 2-1 winners in Paris at the start of the month and temporarily took top spot in the league over the weekend before PSG reclaimed the summit.
The Troyes clash saw the welcome return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who put in a virtuoso display netting twice and laying on another pair despite the collective performance being somewhat disappointing. The Coupe though is a competition that Ancelotti's side need to take as seriously as possible so given the Swede's recent rest don't expect him to sit this one out. He was absent for the victory over Marseille in the previous round of 16 but since the 2-0 win, PSG's domestic supremacy has been questioned and Ancelotti is in no doubt of Ibra's importance to the team.
"Zlatan is a very important player for us. It is natural that we are more efficient in attack when he is playing. He is one of the best strikers in the world."
With their talisman back in action, les Parisiens need to start proving to their considerable number of critics that they are potentially the dominant force that French football needs it to be to lead it into the mainstream spotlight. Recent performances whilst generally positive prior to the run of three games without victory, les Rouges-et-Bleu's overall performances have fallen some way below the standard expected of them given the talent on show. With further reinforcements arriving in January (Lucas Moura), an extended cup run as well as a clear position at the top of Ligue 1 will silence the critics who still claim that PSG are just a group of expensively assembled, talented individuals with no coherence.
Speaking of the importance of the competition to the French press, Ancelotti said: "The next match against Saint-Etienne is very important because we want to give everything to win the Coupe de la Ligue. It will be a very difficult match because Saint-Etienne are a good team, who have already beaten us here at the Parc this season. But we will go there to win."
If PSG are a side with little cohesion despite the array of star talent available to former AC Milan and Chelsea manager, then Ibrahimovic is most certainly the glue holding everything together. His astonishing domestic strike rate stands at 12 goals and two assists in 11 matches, 14 goals and seven assists in 15 games if you also include his European exploits. So there is little chance of Ancelotti leaving Ibra out against les Stephanois if he really wants to take the competition seriously, but one player who will almost certainly start is former ASSE man Blaise Matuidi.
Despite PSG's inconsistent recent form, one player has been a constant steadying influence from midfield and that is the French international. Yet again against Troyes he demonstrated his importance to the side with an all action display including a goal and some combative midfield marshalling. Matuidi though appears to be at his best when alongside Ibrahimovic, everybody in the team does, but the Frenchman in particular has profited by netting three goals this season all thanks to the Swede's creativity.
Speaking about Matuidi, Ancelotti said: "Blaise plays consistently at a very high level. He can be happy with what he is doing at the moment. We are still not solid enough to be a team that plays with continuity, but he is definitely a reassuring presence."
This is where the season starts to get difficult for Ancelotti, despite the temptation to rotate his squad to keep them fresh for key league and Champions League encounters over the next fortnight, he must resist that urge and only make carefully considered changes to try to ensure PSG's safe passage. A semi-final berth in the competition would still fall short of the club's expectations for the season so no further slip-ups will be tolerated, a defeat at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard and Ancelotti's position will come under further scrutiny, despite his sparkling CV and fantastic track record. The proof of the pudding as they say, is in the eating.
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