In 2011, Paris Saint-Germain were bought by Qatar Investment Authority. As is the custom with any team that is purchased, the Parisian outfit made a flurry of big name acquisitions, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Thiago Silva all arriving at the Parc des Princes. The investment paid off as PSG secured their first Ligue 1 championship since 1994 and following the signings of Edinson Cavani and Marquinhos, are well placed to land the title again this season.
As PSG assert their dominance in France, this week they announced the capture of Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle, bolstering what is already the strongest squad in Ligue 1. The 28-year-old quickly established himself in the Premier League after signing from Lille in 2011 and his departure significantly weakens the Magpies.
A WhoScored rating of 7.46 this term is bettered only by compatriot Mathieu Debuchy (7.47) of every Newcastle player, while Cabaye’s influence in the middle of the park has helped the the club to 37 points and 8th in the Premier League. During his time in England, the Magpies won only 21.7% of the 23 games Cabaye missed, compare to 47.4% of the 76 he started, highlighting not only how important a role he played under Alan Pardew, but how big a loss he will be. Newcastle’s loss is PSG's gain.
Blanc’s starting midfield triumvirate of Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi is currently one of, if not the, best in France and without question, the signing of Cabaye will only strengthen it. As PSG look to land their first Champions League trophy, not to mention provide cover for the injured Adrien Rabiot, his arrival will improve their chances of dominating Europe.
If Blanc was to go on the WhoScored rating of the quartet, then the acquisition of Cabaye makes perfect sense, with his figure is better than those of Verratti (7.35), Motta (7.2) and Matuidi (7.17) this term. Being first choice at Newcastle would have largely contributed to this, with Cabaye a guaranteed starter under Alan Pardew.
However, it is possible that he won’t be starting games as regularly as he was at Newcastle and in a World Cup year, this could prove detrimental to his France chances. With Paul Pogba, Clément Grenier and new teammate Matuidi competiting for a first team spot, Cabaye will be keen to start as many matches as possible between now and the end of the season.
Yet, while his rating betters the PSG trio, his pass accuracy (82%) falls below Blanc’s favoured midfield three. This is as a result of the increase in time on the ball gifted to Verratti, Motta and Matuidi, with teams more inclined to sit deeper when up against Les Rouge-et-Bleu, such is their superiority in Ligue 1, allowing them to pick out a teammate with greater ease.
There’s also the idea that, rather than looking to play a simpler pass, Cabaye is more daring in his attempts play a teammate in on goal rather than retain possession.
Boasting WhoScored strengths of ‘through balls’ and ‘key passes’, it’s little wonder that PSG’s latest acquisition averages more key passes per game (1.7) than his new midfield teammates. With Ibrahimovic and Cavani leading the attack - a significant improvement on Loïc Remy and Shola Ameobi - these facets of Cabaye’s game could reap more reward behind the PSG strikers.
Rather than rotating the quartet however, there is also the potential for Blanc to start the four midfielders at the same time. Rather like the narrow diamond that Chelsea played under José Mourinho in the 2006/07 season with Claude Makélélé, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard in midfield, PSG could lineup in a 4-3-1-2, allowing for Verratti, Motta and Matuidi to hold onto their places in the middle of the park, with Cabaye operating further forward.
He has the ability to play in the number 10 role, with 6 of his 17 league starts this term coming as a central attacking midfielder. Netting 4 of his 7 goals in the position, his shooting ability from distance would help ease the goalscoring burden on Ibrahimovic and Cavani. Only Luis Suárez (12) and Gareth Bale (9) have netted more goals from outside the box in the Premier League than Cabaye (7) since the beginning of last season.
The France international is more than capable of performing as the number 10, should Blanc opt to use him there. This would allow for the coach to leave out the underperforming Lavezzi or Javier Pastore, while the matching strengths and styles of play of both Cabaye and PSG would allow for Ibrahimovic and Cavani to build on the 30 league goals scored between them this season.
However, the likelihood is that Blanc will persist with his favoured 4-3-3, thus rotating his midfield following the arrival of Cabaye. As previously mentioned, the concern is that a potential drop in regular game time puts his starting spot in the France team in danger, though in return the player will able to test his ability in the Champions League.
His arrival considerably strengthens Ligue 1’s best team and will bolster their chances of landing Europe’s top prize. Cabaye has exhibited his qualities on a consistent basis in England over the last two-and-a-half years and is more than deserving of playing in Europe’s elite competition, even if that could mean sacrificing regular first team football to do so.
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