Jair Ventura
New member
Di María promises to give the French champions something else, which is why president Nasser Al-Khelaifi coveted him for so long. With Ligue 1 looking like PSG’s to lose already, it’s in the Champions League that Di María’s success or otherwise will really be measured, but the early signs are promising.
The 27-year-old’s goal at La Beaujoire on Saturday afternoon was the pick in PSG’s comeback win, a perfect lob over Rudy Riou, which epitomised grace, vision and technique. It was also his third goal in 4 matches in all competitions, suggesting that he is already well on the way to having the measure of his new challenges.
It’s important that this is the case, and not only as Di María seeks to rehabilitate himself after a season at Manchester United that fell well short of his own standards, even if a final tally of 3 goals and 10 assists in 20 starts suggests it wasn’t quite the unmitigated disaster that many argue. One of his major problems at Old Trafford was that he existed without a defined role, being used as a deluxe utility player by Louis van Gaal.
Already, Di María appears to have been assigned a clear spot by Laurent Blanc - on the right of a three-man attack, as he was used in his early days at both Benfica and Real Madrid. In plain numerical terms, it has paid immediate dividends, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 Ligue 1 starts. He also has a goal from his one Champions League appearance against Malmö, with Shakhtar Donetsk next up on Wednesday.
Blanc using Di María in that advanced role is providing him with the opportunity to get more shots away. He averages 3.4 per game in the league to date, more than at any other stage of his club career by some distance.
http://www.whoscored.com/Articles/a...anced-Position-Giving-Di-Maria-Wings-in-Paris