**Donnarumma:** Against an extremely dominated team, the Italian goalkeeper nevertheless had a very real impact in the win with a huge save against a point-blank shot at 2-0. At the end of the game, Montpellier also tested him with relatively tight angle shots and Donnarumma again emerged victorious. A very solid match indeed, despite some long passes that did not always find their targets.
**Hakimi:** His desire to attack against a compact block was illustrated from the first minutes but the lack of space combined with a big technical waste on his part prevented him from really weighing in in the first half. A lot of improvement in the second half with a big presence on his right side: an impeccable goal, numerous runs and several interesting occasions created. Defensively, he was rarely called upon but often defended opposing crosses well at the far post.
**Marquinhos:** Against an opponent who almost never threatened him defensively, he did not have to strain himself for his return match. Pacho managed most of the opposing attacks and Montpellier mainly attacked on the opposite side. The Brazilian was therefore mainly involved in the build-ups, where he did the job without doing more, and in the opposing box with a very dangerous header but ultimately off-target.
**Pacho:** The Ecuadorian handled the opposing attacks almost single-handedly and left nothing but crumbs for Nordin or Khazri for almost 70 minutes. Perfect in coverage, aggressive in duels, attentive most of the time, he protected his goal well during most of the game. He faced more difficulty at the end of the game with two occasions where he was caught out, possibly physically exhausted. With the ball, he was able to cope very well against pressure and was able to find some interesting passes forward. After his first convincing outing at Le Havre, he largely confirmed his form overall.
**Nuno Mendes:** The Parisian left-back was initially very cautious, only making his first real offensive run after almost 20 minutes of play, but the scenario of the match allowed him to let loose little by little and he took advantage of it by delivering a beautiful assist for Hakimi with a perfect cross. For his return match, he seemed to conserve his efforts but was very keen to recover lost balls.
sept_sept on
**Vitinha:** Once again positioned as a sentinel, the Portuguese, as always, took a little time to get into the game and he therefore only had a very limited impact on the first half, and even in the last third of the pitch in general. Vitinha was generally content to escape the opposing pressure and then organize the Parisian game from behind in a simple and effective manner, with others taking charge of lighting the fuse. A match with sobriety and accuracy.
**Zaïre-Emery:** His significant defensive activity allowed him to start the game well but apart from a well-felt through ball, his first half showed a player still a little shy with the ball. The second half allowed him to put his defensive and offensive actions on par and Montpellier suffered terribly. The young midfielder thus finds himself involved at the start of the 3rd goal, in the build-up of the 4th goal and finally central actor of the 5th goal with a nutmeg from the outside of his weak foot, which is not insignificant. The engine work rate is back.
**Mbaye** replaced him and he positioned himself on the left wing of the attack. The young winger struggled to stand out, with the Parisian game leaning towards the right, but he still managed to get a good opportunity, once again without success.
**João Neves:** The little Portuguese was a starter this time and, in the same role of a free-roaming box-to-box on the left side he had at Le Havre, he delivered two assists again. His excellent understanding with Barcola was confirmed with the first goal while the 19-year-old midfielder showed his sense of the game with a superb assist for Asensio. Surprising with his headers, covering a huge area and involved in all the good occasions in the first half, the little Portuguese impressed without the number of touches worthy of Vitinha. But he played cleanly and was often in the right place at the right time, even if he was less visible after the break.
**Fabian Ruiz** replaced him in the same position, which already seems to define the rest of his season, and the European champion signed an entry with a very simple game after a month and a half without playing.
sept_sept on
**Dembélé:** The Parisian right-winger tried from the start to liven up the Parisian game against a very compact block, but he struggled against Montpellier’s aggressiveness and the incredible impact of Barcola on the opposite flank. Little by little, he was able to find his place in the Parisian game and his arabesques hurt the opposition, as evidenced by the three yellow cards he caused. He didn’t always find the right move in front of goal, but his two assists testify to all the accuracy that he was also able to have in the middle of the opposing defense.
**Lee** replaced him in his position and the South Korean quickly wanted to show that he deserved his spot from kick-off. His first strike was close to hitting the mark, the second was that of the sixth goal. He therefore confirms his ability to score, and his entry was overall positive with a good presence on the right flank.
**Asensio:** Chosen to replace Ramos in attack but in a very different role, he took a few minutes to find his place and it was ultimately by moving all over the field that he was more interesting. Capable of projecting into the box to finish with his weak foot as well as organizing the game, he was a constant poison for Montpellier and the Spaniard found himself involved in a good number of goals in the end, such as his no-look pass for Dembélé on the third or his good switch of the play towards Mendes on the fourth.
**Kolo Muani** replaced him at the end of the game, and he positioned himself in a more traditional 9 role. If he did not score and even missed a few clear chances, everything is not to be discarded in his substitution since his movements were good.
**Barcola:** It was with uproar that the Parisian left winger started his game, with a goal he initiated with a good call before starting a mad rush into space concluded by a curved shot as effective as it was unexpected. This first show of force continued once again with a very complete involvement in the second Parisian goal. Recovering the ball aggressively, long strides to bring the ball forward and the lucidity to pass it. His second goal, easy for him to finish, only enhanced the value of his performance but it really was in the first half that Barcola blew Montpellier away.
**Doué** replaced him for the last half hour, first as a very free left winger before moving to a right-sided box-to-box after Mbaye’s entrance, which already says a lot about the extent to which Luis Enrique will use him in very different roles. In both cases, the young Doué showed all his desire, with many touches and attempts on goal. This caused a significant waste in front of the goal, but the technique was there, the desire to participate in the spectacle as well as in the defensive tasks too.
3 Comments
**Donnarumma:** Against an extremely dominated team, the Italian goalkeeper nevertheless had a very real impact in the win with a huge save against a point-blank shot at 2-0. At the end of the game, Montpellier also tested him with relatively tight angle shots and Donnarumma again emerged victorious. A very solid match indeed, despite some long passes that did not always find their targets.
**Hakimi:** His desire to attack against a compact block was illustrated from the first minutes but the lack of space combined with a big technical waste on his part prevented him from really weighing in in the first half. A lot of improvement in the second half with a big presence on his right side: an impeccable goal, numerous runs and several interesting occasions created. Defensively, he was rarely called upon but often defended opposing crosses well at the far post.
**Marquinhos:** Against an opponent who almost never threatened him defensively, he did not have to strain himself for his return match. Pacho managed most of the opposing attacks and Montpellier mainly attacked on the opposite side. The Brazilian was therefore mainly involved in the build-ups, where he did the job without doing more, and in the opposing box with a very dangerous header but ultimately off-target.
**Pacho:** The Ecuadorian handled the opposing attacks almost single-handedly and left nothing but crumbs for Nordin or Khazri for almost 70 minutes. Perfect in coverage, aggressive in duels, attentive most of the time, he protected his goal well during most of the game. He faced more difficulty at the end of the game with two occasions where he was caught out, possibly physically exhausted. With the ball, he was able to cope very well against pressure and was able to find some interesting passes forward. After his first convincing outing at Le Havre, he largely confirmed his form overall.
**Nuno Mendes:** The Parisian left-back was initially very cautious, only making his first real offensive run after almost 20 minutes of play, but the scenario of the match allowed him to let loose little by little and he took advantage of it by delivering a beautiful assist for Hakimi with a perfect cross. For his return match, he seemed to conserve his efforts but was very keen to recover lost balls.
**Vitinha:** Once again positioned as a sentinel, the Portuguese, as always, took a little time to get into the game and he therefore only had a very limited impact on the first half, and even in the last third of the pitch in general. Vitinha was generally content to escape the opposing pressure and then organize the Parisian game from behind in a simple and effective manner, with others taking charge of lighting the fuse. A match with sobriety and accuracy.
**Zaïre-Emery:** His significant defensive activity allowed him to start the game well but apart from a well-felt through ball, his first half showed a player still a little shy with the ball. The second half allowed him to put his defensive and offensive actions on par and Montpellier suffered terribly. The young midfielder thus finds himself involved at the start of the 3rd goal, in the build-up of the 4th goal and finally central actor of the 5th goal with a nutmeg from the outside of his weak foot, which is not insignificant. The engine work rate is back.
**Mbaye** replaced him and he positioned himself on the left wing of the attack. The young winger struggled to stand out, with the Parisian game leaning towards the right, but he still managed to get a good opportunity, once again without success.
**João Neves:** The little Portuguese was a starter this time and, in the same role of a free-roaming box-to-box on the left side he had at Le Havre, he delivered two assists again. His excellent understanding with Barcola was confirmed with the first goal while the 19-year-old midfielder showed his sense of the game with a superb assist for Asensio. Surprising with his headers, covering a huge area and involved in all the good occasions in the first half, the little Portuguese impressed without the number of touches worthy of Vitinha. But he played cleanly and was often in the right place at the right time, even if he was less visible after the break.
**Fabian Ruiz** replaced him in the same position, which already seems to define the rest of his season, and the European champion signed an entry with a very simple game after a month and a half without playing.
**Dembélé:** The Parisian right-winger tried from the start to liven up the Parisian game against a very compact block, but he struggled against Montpellier’s aggressiveness and the incredible impact of Barcola on the opposite flank. Little by little, he was able to find his place in the Parisian game and his arabesques hurt the opposition, as evidenced by the three yellow cards he caused. He didn’t always find the right move in front of goal, but his two assists testify to all the accuracy that he was also able to have in the middle of the opposing defense.
**Lee** replaced him in his position and the South Korean quickly wanted to show that he deserved his spot from kick-off. His first strike was close to hitting the mark, the second was that of the sixth goal. He therefore confirms his ability to score, and his entry was overall positive with a good presence on the right flank.
**Asensio:** Chosen to replace Ramos in attack but in a very different role, he took a few minutes to find his place and it was ultimately by moving all over the field that he was more interesting. Capable of projecting into the box to finish with his weak foot as well as organizing the game, he was a constant poison for Montpellier and the Spaniard found himself involved in a good number of goals in the end, such as his no-look pass for Dembélé on the third or his good switch of the play towards Mendes on the fourth.
**Kolo Muani** replaced him at the end of the game, and he positioned himself in a more traditional 9 role. If he did not score and even missed a few clear chances, everything is not to be discarded in his substitution since his movements were good.
**Barcola:** It was with uproar that the Parisian left winger started his game, with a goal he initiated with a good call before starting a mad rush into space concluded by a curved shot as effective as it was unexpected. This first show of force continued once again with a very complete involvement in the second Parisian goal. Recovering the ball aggressively, long strides to bring the ball forward and the lucidity to pass it. His second goal, easy for him to finish, only enhanced the value of his performance but it really was in the first half that Barcola blew Montpellier away.
**Doué** replaced him for the last half hour, first as a very free left winger before moving to a right-sided box-to-box after Mbaye’s entrance, which already says a lot about the extent to which Luis Enrique will use him in very different roles. In both cases, the young Doué showed all his desire, with many touches and attempts on goal. This caused a significant waste in front of the goal, but the technique was there, the desire to participate in the spectacle as well as in the defensive tasks too.