Player Focus: The Wonderful Problem PSG Have with Cavani and Ibrahimovic

It was hard to believe quite what was happening at the Parc des Princes as Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his return to action for Paris Saint Germain in a top-of-the-table clash with fellow title chasers Marseille in the final game before the current international break. 

With the reigning Ligue 1 chanpions one goal to the good and headed for a victory that would cut their rival’s lead to just 1 point, they were searching for a second goal to kill the game off. Ibrahimovic appeared from the bench, stepping onto a pitch for the first time since mid-September; surely the perfect player to have to introduce in such an important game? 

The Swede should have brought an even unquestionably greater threat to the team as they counter-attacked Marseille’s attempts to find an equaliser, but instead he almost proved more of a hindrance than help.

As both teams vied for the game’s crucial second goal, space opened up. There were 9 attempts on goal in the final 10 minutes of the clash. With a front three of Lucas Moura, who had already scored that evening, a free scoring and in-form Edinson Cavani and the returning Ibrahimovic, PSG were always like to extend their lead. That they did, though they could have scored far more but for the efforts of Ibra. His differences with Cavani had been documented previously, and he proceeded to do his utmost to prevent the Uruguayan from being the player to score PSG’s next goal.

Time and again, Ibrahimovic picked the ball up in a position with Cavani – who had been moved out to the wing to accommodate the Swede – offering an option and looking to be put in on goal, and time and again he was ignored. A couple of these instances would be simply put down to Ibrahimovic’s ego; he had just returned and wanted to be the main man once again. When he plays, he wants others to fade; he wants their input to diminish as he controls proceedings. But here he bypassed the option of passing to Cavani so many times that it quickly became clear; the two were far from best of friends.

This leaves Cavani – and Paris Saint Germain – in something of a quandary. Ibrahimovic may be 33 years of age but he still is the centre of attention at the French giants. He is team captain, and he has a great deal of sway in the dressing room, to the extent that if he is not happy with a teammate, their time at the club could well be up. His contract runs out at the end of next season, a full two years before Cavani, but it seems increasingly likely that the former Napoli forward could be the first of the two to depart.

PSG now have a big decision to make. They bought Cavani for a whopping €64.5m less than 18 months ago, and he has a vast contract that would need buying out if they were to sell, but it is extremely unlikely, despite Cavani’s unmistakable class, that anyone would be willing to cough up that much – in addition to hefty wages – any time soon given the increasingly stringent demands of Financial Fair Play.

On the other hand, there is also the issue that Cavani is an undoubted asset. He has thrived in Zlatan’s absence in recent weeks, scoring 4 goals in his last 4 appearances before last Sunday’s clash, and he carried the confidence gained into that match, ultimately netting PSG’s second goal from Serge Aurier’s cross. Ibra did little more than lift his arms in celebration as Cavani wheeled away to the corner flag.

The likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been linked with the Uruguayan forward, though a move to Manchester City would probably make more sense given their riches and reliance for goals on Sergio Agüero. Arguably aside from Chelsea, each would be vastly improved with Cavani in their team, but the money involved would be a significant stumbling block.

Then we are back to PSG, and how they can solve this wonderful problem. The fact of the matter is having Cavani in their team is a positive and even if he doesn’t like that he is shifted out wide to accommodate Ibrahimovic, he does well when he is ‘out of position’. His rating in Ligue 1 games when playing out wide this season (7.48) is much higher than when playing up front (6.90), while he has as many goals (3) in 5 games out wide as he does in 7 through the middle.

It seems he does more for the team when playing out wide. He has slightly fewer shots (3.4 per game to 3.9) but plays significantly more key passes (0.8 compared to 0.3). Naturally, given that it is easier to find space out wide, he completes more dribbles (0.6 to 0.3), but he also wins possession more often in the final third too (0.2 to 0.1), suggesting that he works harder knowing that he will have to run more to forge opportunities for himself (presuming that he, in being a natural goalscorer, sees goals as the ultimate reward for his work). Even with Ibra trying to deny him against Marseille, Cavani managed to net having come off the left to attack a ball into the box when Ibra was in a deep position.

It is truly a phenomenally daunting thought to imagine what it must be like to have to try and persuade Zlatan Ibrahimovic that he must overcome his differences with Cavani for the better of the team, but simply put, that is what needs to happen at PSG if they are to make inroads in European competition.

In Cavani and Ibrahimovic they have two of the best strikers in the world, and despite what we all saw against Marseille, Cavani scores regularly whether Ibrahimovic is playing or not. In the league and European competition this season, he averages a goal every 143.7 minutes with Ibra on the pitch, compared to every 141.5 without him. The point is that Cavani is a fantastic player whether or not his own teammates are against him, and it would be criminal if they were to ship him off to try and appease their egotistical captain who needs to realise the benefits of having Cavani about.

Do you think PSG should keep Cavani or try and sell him if that is what Ibrahimovic wants? Let us know in the comments below