What can’t he do? Since his arrival at PSG, Joao Neves is probably one of the best Parisians. Arriving on tiptoe from Benfica, he didn’t wait long before quickly establishing himself in the Parisian midfield. It must be said that at the age of 20, he has a wide technical and tactical palette. And this is something to please Luis Enrique who has made him one of his technical leaders in the field. This Friday evening, he obviously started against TFC.
In an almost reorganized team, he had the difficult task of dictating the tempo of the match and above all of guaranteeing the balance of a resolutely offensive formation. This is what he managed to do brilliantly in this match. And not just once. In the top 3 Parisian players having completed the most passes (with Beraldo and Skriniar), the Portuguese international also had to go beyond his duties to help his team be dangerous offensively. It was he who opened the scoring with a sublime recovery on a good serve from Achraf Hakimi.
45 minutes as left back
A sumptuous goal which got his team out of a very unexciting evening. Proof of his ability to adapt to all situations, upon returning from the locker room, he was lined up as… a left back. Luis Enrique decided to send Yoram Zague out and it was Neves who found himself in the left lane. We could then fear a decline in its share. But no. On the contrary. Even in this position, he multiplied his interventions, won duels and even distributed some caviar to his partners. A frankly stunning reconversion especially as Toulouse tried, as best they could, to push to equalize and therefore went through their side. “I try to always give the best of myself and in any position, that’s one of my qualities. I try to play with quality and intensity while giving the best for the team”confided the main interested party in the mixed zone about its repositioning.
An opinion shared by his coach Luis Enrique at a press conference even if he was harsher in his analysis. “He played number six then left back, we wanted to use his recovery ability at the back. When a midfielder scores, we insist on it, but I am more satisfied with his second half than his first. ». No matter, João Neves confirms his untouchable status in this team. “We did very well, we had the ball and we did what we wanted. We managed to make the break. My goal is above all collective. It was me but it could have been someone else. So I’m happy. This victory gives us confidence ahead of Bayern. We will do our best” he said in the mixed zone during his match. He will now have to turn to the match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League because PSG will have to rely on a great performance from him to try to achieve a result in Germany.
