Paris Saint-Germain crawled through the eye of the needle for the second time in a few days on Wednesday evening. After Mauricio Pochettino’s team escaped on Sunday against Olympique Lyon (2-1) via Mauro Icardi, it succeeded against FC Metz (1-2) thanks to a goal by Achraf Hakimi deep in injury time. However, Georginio Wijnaldum’s game has little appeal to the French media. The midfielder seems to be suffering from adjustment problems and was taken off for Angel Di María after more than an hour of play against Metz.
Wijnaldum returned to the starting lineup against Metz after having to settle for a spot on the reserve bench against Lyon and was only brought into the lines in the final phase. The Dutchman looked uncomfortable, also saw Cédric Rablat from Foot Mercato. Wijnaldum missed it again tonight, the French journalist wrote. “Apart from the fact that he struggles to play centrally, he lacks technique and is having trouble understanding his team-mates. It’s disappointing.”
Also L’Equipe was not impressed by Wijnaldum’s performance. The midfielder received a 3 as a score, just like Kylian Mbappé. The latter claimed a negative leading role by seeking a confrontation with goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja in the final phase. “He has to behave differently to be loved. I love him as a player, he is very good. But he would benefit from behaving differently, being more modest,” coach Frédéric Antonetti Mbappe advised after ending.
Le Parisien compared Wijnaldum’s performance to a ghost. “He beautifully played the role of BelphegorBelphégor is the name of the specter of the Louvre, in a 1965 series. Wijnaldum himself was particularly pleased with the seventh straight win in Ligue 1. “It wasn’t an easy game, but what a way to get into the to secure the win at the very last minute. Hakimi is on firethe midfielder wrote on social media.