PSG started Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé, Ángel Di María and Neymar against Monaco ... and conceded three goals
By Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French
Football News
Ligue 1 finally had a showpiece occasion to be proud of on Sunday evening. The Olympico in November between Lyon and Marseille was fitfully entertaining, but the other big fixtures this season have been disappointing. The Classique was terribly one-sided, with PSG thrashing Marseille 4-0; Lyon’s 1-0 loss to PSG was a dour affair; and their derby defeat to St Étienne was no better. For all that Ligue 1 promised this season, the biggest occasions had too often been damp squibs. That was, until Monaco – playing their first league match under new manager Robert Moreno – rocked up at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night and drew 3-3 with PSG.
Having shifted away from Leonardo Jardim’s 3-5-2 formation, the former
Spain boss lined his team up in what was either 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, depending on whether one viewed Aleksandr Golovin as a No 10 or an advanced central midfielder. The change of formation allowed Monaco to play more on the front foot and use the pace of Keita Baldé and Gelson Martins on the flanks. The Portuguese winger was also liberated from the onerous task of tracking back, something that had undermined his performances as a wing-back.