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Thiago Motta may have been the best transfer of the January window, but he won't be as important for PSG as he was for Inter
While signing the Italy international has undoubtedly boosted the quality of PSG's squad, his talents risk being camouflaged at the Parc des Princes, Robin Bairner explains
Feb 4, 2012 9:00:00 AM
Thiago Motta et Leonardo (PSG)
ANALYSIS
by Robin Bairner | French Football Editor
Paris Saint-Germain nailed down the signing of Thiago Motta with a matter of hours left in the transfer window, securing the addition of the Inter midfielder for around €10 million and by doing so also scooping top prize in Goal.com’s list of top January signings.
The Brazilian-born Italy international may have been a figure to split opinion while in Milan, but the statistics are remarkable. With him in their midst, Claudio Ranieri’s side boasted a win percentage of 90; without the 29-year-old, they mustered just 20% when he was at the club, and the midweek draw against Palermo means that that figure has fallen yet further.
He may not have been universally popular at San Siro but there can be few arguments that he played a quietly effective role in the Nerazzurri’s success.
Carlo Ancelotti will expect Motta to have the same impact in the French capital, where he should fit neatly into a team that has a strong, and growing, Italo-Brazilian influence.
While adding strength, physicality and a scoring threat to the midfield, there can be little doubt, however, that the centre of PSG’s midfield was not the area that most urgently needed addressing.
Motta’s arrival at Parc des Princes is liable to see Blaise Matuidi – a fine performer in the first half of the season before injury struck – muscled onto the bench, where he will find himself perched alongside one of Diego Lugano, Alex and Mamadou Sakho, who cannot all play in Ancelotti’s 4-3-2-1 system.
While PSG are ludicrously well-stocked in the defensive area of the field – certainly by Ligue 1 standards – there remains a lopsided feel to their side, as their attacking options are thin to say the least. Christophe Jallet, who has spent much of his career playing right-back, remains the main backup for Jeremy Menez, while Nene and Javier Pastore, when fit again, face little or no competition at all for their spots.
As for genuine goalscorers, if Kevin Gameiro and Guillaume Hoarau, who has spent the vast majority of the season injured, are unavailable, PSG are forced to look to their youth team for their next centre-forward in line, though practically they would simply reshuffle their offensive midfielders and play without an out-and-out striker.
This offensive sector was where Les Parisiens had ambitiously hoped that Carlos Tevez, Alexandre Pato or Kaka could step in. None of PSG’s three great targets could be secured, though, and, instead of searching for inferior replacements, the capital club have elected to see out the season with their current personnel, who have, it must be remembered, lead them to the summit of Le Championnat.
Motta will add to PSG’s corps of central players in terms of quality, though fans hoping for him to add a new dimension to the play of the capital outfit are liable to be left rather disappointed.
Little extra imagination, dynamism or drive will come from the Italy international, and those are the two principal qualities that Les Parisiens have been lacking at their heart. There will be an added threat in their armoury from set-pieces and long range, but that’s not really what the team needed, and, though the defensive aspect of their game may be strengthened, Motta doesn’t represent a huge step up from ‘Elastic Man’ Matuidi in this respect.
At Inter, Motta was vital in the centre of the field. He was not a player who was especially noticed or remarkable for his talents, yet his very being seemed to influence those around him to achieve greater things.
In Paris, however, his skills are in danger of being undermined by having too many similar players around.
Follow Robin Bairner on
by Robin Bairner | French Football Editor
Paris Saint-Germain nailed down the signing of Thiago Motta with a matter of hours left in the transfer window, securing the addition of the Inter midfielder for around €10 million and by doing so also scooping top prize in Goal.com’s list of top January signings.
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The Brazilian-born Italy international may have been a figure to split opinion while in Milan, but the statistics are remarkable. With him in their midst, Claudio Ranieri’s side boasted a win percentage of 90; without the 29-year-old, they mustered just 20% when he was at the club, and the midweek draw against Palermo means that that figure has fallen yet further.
He may not have been universally popular at San Siro but there can be few arguments that he played a quietly effective role in the Nerazzurri’s success.
Carlo Ancelotti will expect Motta to have the same impact in the French capital, where he should fit neatly into a team that has a strong, and growing, Italo-Brazilian influence.
While adding strength, physicality and a scoring threat to the midfield, there can be little doubt, however, that the centre of PSG’s midfield was not the area that most urgently needed addressing.
| INTER WITH AND WITHOUT THIAGO MOTTA 2011-12 |
 |
 |
| WITH | WITHOUT | |
| 10 |
SERIE A GAMES |
11 |
| 9 |
WON |
2 |
| 0 | DRAWN | 3 |
| 1 | LOST | 6 |
| 18 | GOALS FOR |
16 |
| 3 | GOALS AGAINST |
22 |
| 27 |
POINTS |
9 |
Motta’s arrival at Parc des Princes is liable to see Blaise Matuidi – a fine performer in the first half of the season before injury struck – muscled onto the bench, where he will find himself perched alongside one of Diego Lugano, Alex and Mamadou Sakho, who cannot all play in Ancelotti’s 4-3-2-1 system.
While PSG are ludicrously well-stocked in the defensive area of the field – certainly by Ligue 1 standards – there remains a lopsided feel to their side, as their attacking options are thin to say the least. Christophe Jallet, who has spent much of his career playing right-back, remains the main backup for Jeremy Menez, while Nene and Javier Pastore, when fit again, face little or no competition at all for their spots.
As for genuine goalscorers, if Kevin Gameiro and Guillaume Hoarau, who has spent the vast majority of the season injured, are unavailable, PSG are forced to look to their youth team for their next centre-forward in line, though practically they would simply reshuffle their offensive midfielders and play without an out-and-out striker.
This offensive sector was where Les Parisiens had ambitiously hoped that Carlos Tevez, Alexandre Pato or Kaka could step in. None of PSG’s three great targets could be secured, though, and, instead of searching for inferior replacements, the capital club have elected to see out the season with their current personnel, who have, it must be remembered, lead them to the summit of Le Championnat.
Motta will add to PSG's corps of central players in terms of quality, though fans hoping for him to add a new dimension of play are liable to be left rather disappointed |
 |
|
Motta will add to PSG’s corps of central players in terms of quality, though fans hoping for him to add a new dimension to the play of the capital outfit are liable to be left rather disappointed.
Little extra imagination, dynamism or drive will come from the Italy international, and those are the two principal qualities that Les Parisiens have been lacking at their heart. There will be an added threat in their armoury from set-pieces and long range, but that’s not really what the team needed, and, though the defensive aspect of their game may be strengthened, Motta doesn’t represent a huge step up from ‘Elastic Man’ Matuidi in this respect.
At Inter, Motta was vital in the centre of the field. He was not a player who was especially noticed or remarkable for his talents, yet his very being seemed to influence those around him to achieve greater things.
In Paris, however, his skills are in danger of being undermined by having too many similar players around.
Follow Robin Bairner on
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