Team Focus: Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic And Edinson Cavani Play Together For PSG?
Last year, as Paris Saint-Germain secured their first French title since 1994, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the first player to score 30 goals in a single Ligue 1 season since Jean-Pierre Papin reached the landmark with Olympique Marseille over the 1989/90 campaign. Naturally, the aim of the club is to build on the success of the season and they have started doing just that with the multi-million pound acquisition of Edinson Cavani.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid had all been credited with an interest with ‘El Matador’, but as the striker leaves Napoli in exchange for £55m, it’s fair to say the best team across the English Channel have strengthened significantly. Ibrahimovic and Cavani scored 59 goals between them last season in Ligue 1 and Serie A, respectively, and many are of the opinion that the French capital outfit now boasts the strongest strikeforce in Europe, a notion reinforced in that only Lionel Messi (46) and Cristiano Ronaldo (34) netted more domestic goals than either of the two in Europe's top five leagues last season.
There are some that believe the Sweden international will look to secure a move away from the Parc des Princes this summer, especially following Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment with Real - the La Liga side rumoured to be a possible destination for Ibrahimovic - but then it’s expected that club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi do his utmost to hang on to the 31-year-old.
If he does so, the real question remains as to whether or not the pairing can play together in a system that Laurent Blanc will look to integrate with the club next season. Under Ancelotti, PSG started 18 of their 38 Ligue 1 encounters with a 4-2-2-2, yet that is likely to change under the former France head coach. While Blanc may have been out of the game for a year following Euro 2012, the tournament saw the 47-year-old use a 4-2-3-1 and he’s expected to do similar with Les Rouge-et-Bleu in the upcoming campaign. However, with only one centre-forward spot available and neither likely to be dropped to the bench, something will have to give.
It would be somewhat misleading to label Ibrahimovic an out-and-out striker given his tendencies to drop deeper and link up play with the midfield. He has proven time and time again in the past that he is comfortable dropping deeper to assist in the build-up play and allowing his teammates to attack the opposition, so moving to a number 10 role wouldn't necessarily be an alien experience for the Swede. In creating 19 clear-cut chances for his PSG teammates last season, it can be argued that a player to finish off such opportunities alongside Ibra would allow them to build on the 69 Ligue 1 goals they netted over the 2012/13 campaign.
Cavani, meanwhile netted 21 clear-cut chances - the most in Serie A last season - while only three players - Lionel Messi (27), Radamel Falcao (25) and Álvaro Negredo (22) - netted more than the Uruguayan across Europe’s top five leagues. With a 44.7% conversion from big chances, it’s highly likely that the striker would benefit tremendously from the creative capabilities of his new teammate.
Should Blanc indeed bring in the 4-2-3-1, the sole frontman would likely be Cavani for his goalgetting ability alone. This would see Ibrahimovic start in a deeper position, although he regularly drifted between the opposition midfield and defence in order to retain possession and bring his teammates into play last season, so it may not be a problem for him.
Now, provided he and Cavani can co-exist on the pitch, the Swede will benefit from a natural goalscorer positioned ahead of him. The major concern would likely be how Cavani performs without a strike partner. For Uruguay, head coach Óscar Tábarez has often fielded the 26-year-old as the spearhead of a three-man attack, or shifted him out wide to accomodate Luis Suárez and Diego Forlán, and he has thus netted just 17 goals in 54 international appearances. Yet, as the focal point of the attack, supported by the likes of Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi - with whom he played at Napoli for two years - and Lucas Moura, Cavani should prosper.
In executing 10 accurate through balls and 61 key passes, it’s evident that while boasting the necessary goalscoring touch necessary of any top striker, Ibrahimovic’s creative exploits from the past season are unmistakable, with his 8 assists a further testament to this. Yet, with a player of Cavani’s ilk in front of him - the striker boasting a conversion rate of 18.6% - the potential of a blossoming striking partnership is there for all to see.
Of course, this all depends on how quickly the pairing will become accustomed to one another on the pitch. Should Cavani adjust to his surroundings with minimal ease, it would allow PSG to grow into a more cohesive, dangerous, attacking unit, while bolstering their chances of landing Champions League glory, a long term goal of club supremo Al-Khelaifi.
