Patience is the mother of all sciences. Tell Sergio Ramos, who had to wait five months to debut with PSG and seven to see his first start at the Parc des Princes. The Spanish international put in a fairly complete performance against Stade Reims, making his debut as a goalscorer in style. He played the 90 minutes, had a millimetric success in the pass and showed why, at the highest level, he is one of the best central defenders in the world.
“I’m happy to have played the full 90 minutes and I’m personally happy because it’s my first goal for PSG. I hope there is more. It’s been three weeks since I returned to training normally with the group and it’s the best time to be in shape”, acknowledged the former Real Madrid player to the Amazon Prime microphones after finishing the game against Reims. His coach, Pochettino, praised Ramos’ performance: “It’s good that Sergio has scored. It is important that you play a good game. Every player improves when there is continuity in training and competition. Without a doubt, it is getting better and better.”
Ramos’ performance, however, was not outstanding for the always critical French press. The newspaper L’Équipe gave the Andalusian central defender a 6, highlighting his first goal with PSG, but he also acknowledged having suffered in some Reims internments in the first half: “The Spaniard only needed five games to find the goal (2-0, 62nd). The general impression was mixed. He had a very good grasp of the game, with his well-cut crosses and fairly accurate reading of transitions. But in one on one, we also feel an athletic deficit. His long game is a delight (3rd, 42nd) and will help Paris against the short blocks.”, underlines the newspaper.
The ownership and the goal of Ramos put Pochettino in a dilemma from now on. The defender’s direct competition is Kimpembe, who has more than earned his place in Paris and, although he has experienced a bit of a slump in recent months, both the club and Pochettino have full confidence in the centre-back. One of the possibilities for the Argentine would be to use a defense with three centre-backs, but that would mean sacrificing a player in midfield, something for which, at the moment, the current PSG coach is not up for the job. Yesterday was Sergio Ramos’ fifth game so far this season, the fourth in Ligue 1 since he made his debut on November 28 against Saint-Étienne and the third so far this year.
#Ramos #resurfaces