Wednesday 4 January 2012

Moving on from the Beckhams

Artists impression of PSG fans reacting to the Beckham news
So, as expected, the Beckham move to PSG isn't happening, boohoo. Reports that the club have set up a helpline to help depressed fans cope with the news, similar to the one that opened when Take That split up, have yet to be confirmed

"We're a little disappointed, of course, that he's not coming," said PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi. "But we agree that it is better for everyone."

Better for everyone? Why did you try to sign him in the first place then Nas? The club aren't this set-back get them down, and have launched a double €61million bid for Milan's Alexander Pato and Real Madrid's Kaka.

Both players are well-known to Ancelotti from his time in Italy, and would undoubtedly be great additions to the squad. Pato fits the profile of player that, in my opinion, we should be looking to bring in; he has great experience for a 22-year-old, and if he can be persuaded to make the move he could be a cornerstone of the team for years to come.

At 29 Kaka is a different kettle of fish, and though his form has been patchy in recent seasons, it's likely he'd find life in Ligue 1 slightly easier than he has in La Liga. And having a big-name playmaker to shoulder some of the creative burden currently carried solely by Pastore can only be a good thing. The only slight snag is that Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has repeatedly said he doesn't want to sell Kaka, while Pato recently declared that he wanted to stay with the Rossinari. Watch this space on those two I guess.

My only concern would be that in this rush to add more attacking talent to the roster, we seem to have again forgotten about the players we actually need, ie some competent full-backs. Talk of a move for Palermo's Federico Balzaretti seems to have died down in recent weeks, and I hope the club have other targets in mind.

Also in the news, PSG were said to be one of a number of "European big-guns" (liberal use of the term big-guns) tracking Manchester United's Ravel Morrison, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Morrison is highly-rated at Old Trafford, but my sources on Twitter tell me that off the pitch he's had a bit of trouble with the law. Perhaps if he does come to Paris the club can rent him an apartment in Sarcelle or St Denis so he feels at home.

Today the PSG will face Ancelotti's old club, AC Milan, in a friendly match out in Doha. With Gameiro, Menez, Matuidi and Chantome on the injured list, Guillaume Hoarau is likely to be the focal point of the manager's favoured "Christmas tree" formation, with Pastore and Nene in support, ahead of a possible midfield three of Jallet, Bodmer, and Sissoko. It's difficult to draw too many conclusions from friendlies of course, but it will be interesting to see who Carlo selects at the back, given the number of different combinations employed in the first half of the season.

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