I've been one of Blanc's biggest critics, and I still stand by him not getting the most out of one of the world's most talented club teams. But last night, against Chelsea, he showed a stroke of genius by taking his major signing from Argentina from the wing and giving him the freedom to roam all over the pitch. The move was something Chelsea had difficulty in dealing with, and made PSG look more inventive when going forward.
Di Maria is a player who I've been a fan of since he was the one that propelled Madrid to their tenth Champions League title as well as his displays for Argentina. His sweet left foot, the way in which he drifted past players and the way in which he's expertly worked down the wing putting in beautiful crosses has made him the best natural winger in the world.
I never knew why he wasn't given a second chance at United. Especially when you see how he started, and how United are struggling this season with Depay not really making it happen, it was pretty unjust how Van Gaal tossed him aside. When you now see what he's been doing for PSG, even United fans will have to admit that they botched up in selling him after only one season.
But in this match against Chelsea, we all assumed Di Maria would cause Chelsea's defense problems on the wing. Also with Zouma and Terry out, Di Maria would be able to stretch, weave and dance his way into getting some crosses in for Ibra. Blanc though had other ideas and showed his ability to be a more creative in his tactics, and it bore fruit.
Once I saw Di Maria just popping up in the middle of the pitch, keeping the ball and combining with Lucas and Ibra beautifully I was confused. In football, of course you will see wingers come in on the inside based on the situation, but the amount of times I saw Di Maria picking the ball up from the defence and pretty much playing as a central midfielder for large periods in the game, I knew this was a free role that he'd be given. What we saw as a result was Di Maria showing just how good of a player he was.
The amount of times he was fouled or Chelsea players struggled to get the ball off him was amazing. Every time Di Maria had the ball, he schooled Chelsea in the art of control. He may be very heavily left-footed, but just like Robben, that doesn't minimize or hamper his game because his command of the ball is so precise that you end up having to foul just to get the ball. It was a tactic by Blanc which worked to perfection and made PSG look far more dangerous than I have seen them in all the years that this project has been going.
Moving forward, PSG may have a strategy in finally making the semis or even beyond. We know they have one of the best central defenders in the world, a great three-dimensional midfield and good finishers when they want to be. But they've been missing that magical player who can create and bring in others into the game and unlock defences. Di Maria can be that guy, and I want him to continue to play this free-role and keep on improving at it. And this may even be great news for Argentina which would relieve the pressure off of Messi. HH
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