New manager Roberto Moreno led Monaco to the Parc des Prince on Sunday and left the stadium with a 3-3 draw. The game featured little defending from Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, but the attacking football was great to watch for neutrals.
Now, Monaco and PSG will meet once more after a quick Ligue 1 turnaround. PSG’s draw with Monaco could come back to haunt the league leaders. Second-place Marseille were able to pull within five points of PSG and a title fight could be on.
Monaco sit midtable heading into the fixture and are three points off of the Champions League qualification places. Although Monaco haven’t been great this season, they showed an attack that went straight at PSG’s defence at the weekend.
PSG’s draw with Monaco was a microcosm of the Parisien’s Champions League campaigns over the last few seasons. They play well in attack but cannot defend to close out games. Having failed to defeat Monaco on Sunday, can PSG beat the principality club in midweek?
🛑 @Benj_Lecomte 🛑 #PSGASM pic.twitter.com/ZhF6l3cPpM— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 13, 2020
🛑 @Benj_Lecomte 🛑 #PSGASM pic.twitter.com/ZhF6l3cPpM
Neymar got on the scoresheet twice against Monaco on Sunday night. One of his goals came from the penalty spot while the other was from open play as he skinned Monaco’s defence. Neymar was the catalyst for PSG’s third goal as his cross was turned in by Fode Ballo-Toure for an own goal.
PSG drew a blank in the second half, however, as Monaco’s defence improved. Kylian Mbappe was surprisingly quiet as speculation over his future grows.
Manager Thomas Tuchel showed the pressure is getting to him after PSG’s draw on Sunday. He deployed Marquinhos in midfield rather than central defence. It left the team weak at the back.
PSG’s “fantastic front four” showed that putting so much stock into the attack could be a problem in the race for the title. When the attack cannot overwhelm other teams, the defence can be picked apart.
Monaco are unbeaten in six straight games in all competitions. They have put together a string of five unbeaten games in Ligue 1 plus a win in the Coupe de France. Moreno has improved the team’s attack already and were not afraid to take the game to PSG.
The league leaders should rebound and get revenge against Monaco on Wednesday night. Expect another high-scoring game with over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring. Neymar could have another big night as PSG claim all three points and extend their lead over Marseille in the Ligue 1.