A lamentable display against Metz last weekend was the last thing the
former Napoli ace needed as he attempts to fill the Swede's giant boots
at the Parc des Princes
There is no place for Edinson Cavani to hide. For his first three
years with Paris Saint-Germain, he could claim the overbearing spectre
of Zlatan Ibrahimovic impinged upon his ability to play to the level
expected of a €64 million signing, but the shadow of the Swede has gone
and he is currently unchallenged for the No.9 role in Unai Emery’s
plans.
His first outing could scarcely have gone any worse. While his effort
levels could certainly not be questioned, the quality level on display
was well short of that expected of a No.9 playing at one of Europe’s top
clubs. Ibrahimovic, he is not.
Cavani was, admittedly, returning from injury, but the quality of
opportunities he passed up against modest opponents was alarming, and
for a period it seemed it might cost his side against opponents prepared
to defend doggedly. Ultimately Lucas Moura and Marco Verratti got the
Parisians out of jail, but a scrappy 2-0 victory was not in the script.
“I know I had a lot of chances,” he admitted to the press following
the match. “It was only my first match after injury and I hope to
improve. I can improve a lot.”
And he will have to. In squandering opportunity after opportunity, he
became the first player in a major European league to miss, by Opta’s
standards, three ‘big chances’ in a single match this season. Indeed,
he’s the only player to have done this more than once since the start of
last season.
He’s nothing if not persistent, but on big European nights, when PSG
might only get a couple of openings, such profligacy could be fatal for
his side.
The 29-year-old has already earned a reputation of failing when his
side need him most. PSG have frustratingly stumbled at the quarter-final
stages of the Champions League in each of the last four years, with
Cavani anonymous as they suffered a shock 3-2 aggregate loss against
Manchester City in the previous edition.
Last season was particularly difficult and saved only by a winning
goal against Chelsea at Parc des Princes – though even that probably
should have been stopped by Thibaut Courtois. In total, Cavani scored
only twice in 10 European outings.
Domestically, his record in big games is actually healthy. In matches
against Marseille, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Lyon and Monaco – arguably PSG
greatest competition over the last three seasons – he has scored 19
goals in 32 outings.
And the squad are still united behind the industrious attacker. “He
does incredible work for the team, both defensively and offensively,”
midfielder Thiago Motta commented. “If he continues to do that, things
will happen.
“For an attacker, it’s normal to be criticised if you don’t score.
But at a collective level, his work was very good. I am very sure he’ll
start to score.”
A more selfish approach – like a certain Swede – may benefit him at an individual level and consequently PSG at a team level.
Ibrahimovic might be gone, but he is certainly not forgotten at the
Parc des Princes – particularly when he has made an explosive start to
life with Manchester United, scoring in three straight competitive
outings.
Cavani is inevitably compared to the man he replaced. Not only is
Ibra a cult hero in the French capital like few others, he was also
supposedly the obstacle to the Uruguay international's relatively
disappointing scoring figures.
While the Swede hogged centre stage, the former Napoli man failed to
breach the 20-goal mark in Ligue 1 – well below the level he set in
Serie A, when he managed 29 in the 2012-13 season alone. Now the focus
upon the marksman has increased, and so too has the pressure to perform.
On Sunday, PSG face their first real test of the Ligue 1 season when
they travel to face Monaco at their Stade Louis II home, opponents who
were one of only two to beat them in Ligue 1 last term. Ultimately this
is not the stage that Cavani will be judged on, but a strong display is
required to justify the confidence of those who have pinned so many
hopes on him.
He has no place to hide. Ibrahimovic has gone but his legacy remains,
and over the next 10 months Cavani will - somehow - have to live up to
it or prepare for a future elsewhere. All the evidence so far suggests
the latter.
12:54:00 AM
