Antoine Kombouaré has transformed Paris FC. Unbeaten in eight matches, seven of which have come under the guidance of their new manager, the Paris-based club has secured its survival – a prospect that had long looked in doubt until the Kanak’s decisive arrival.
Give Antoine Kombouaré a bit of a squad and watch what happens… At 62, the New Caledonian manager is revolutionising Paris FC, even though his appointment as manager in place of Stéphane Gilli had drawn criticism, highlighting a mismatch between the Kanak’s style and the Parisian project.
Kombouaré unbeaten with Paris FC
Ultimately, Kombouaré has proved to be the right man for the job. Whilst the former FC Nantes coach has not changed much of Gilli’s approach, according to the players, the former centre-back has imposed his character and strong-willed personality. There have also been a few changes to the squad, some of them surprising – Ilan Kebbal and Maxime Lopez, who were undisputed starters before he took charge, initially found themselves demoted – but the positive impact on results has been undeniable.
Paris FC have won four matches since his appointment, against Nice (1-0), Le Havre (3-2), Monaco (4-1) and Metz (3-1), before drawing three times against Lyon (1-1), Strasbourg (0-0) and Lorient (1-1). A fine run of form overall. With this eight-match unbeaten run (Gilli had left after a draw against Toulouse), PFC finally secured their survival with ease on Sunday, extending their lead over relegation play-off side Auxerre to 13 points.
Here to stay?
That was the target set for Kombouaré, but he wanted much more. “Staying up was the club’s objective, but it wasn’t mine, because I had much higher ambitions. I say this with great humility, but when I arrived, we were still 15th, six points ahead of the play-off spot. In my mind, I wanted to do much better than the position we were in. I knew there were good players, a good squad,” Kombouaré acknowledged at a press conference.
Pierre Ferracci, the Parisian chairman, therefore has no reason to regret the reshuffle carried out two months ago: “Antoine Kombouaré is the right man for the job when we’re going through a difficult period. He’s a brilliant manager with remarkable personal qualities. It makes you want to continue the journey with him,” the chairman told RMC Sport. With his contract due to expire in June, the Kanak has a strong case for securing an extension, which seems increasingly logical and well-deserved.
Lyon: Afonso Moreira, a €2 million steal
Unstoppable against Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) on Sunday, Afonso Moreira spearheaded Olympique Lyonnais’ attack alongside Endrick. The winger, initially seen as a squad reinforcement, is establishing himself as one of the league’s standout players.
For a fee 35 times lower than that of Illia Zabarnyi, Olympique Lyonnais signed Afonso Moreira last summer. A 20-year-old unknown in the Portuguese league at the time, he had just completed a season with Sporting’s reserves despite making only a few appearances for the first team.
On Sunday, at the Parc des Princes, however, it was the €2 million Portuguese player who left the Ukrainian centre-back in his wake. With his characteristic energy, work rate and clinical finishing in the final third, the Lyon winger carried his team to a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
A winning partnership with Endrick and a driving force in his legs
In Paris, OL capitalised on their excellent start. Paulo Fonseca’s players had just six shots on goal, and only two after the second goal, scored in the 18th minute. Afonso Moreira was instrumental in this opening spell, with what appeared to be a misplaced shot that ultimately turned into a perfect assist for Endrick, who finished with authority, followed by a run from his own half into the box by Matvey Safonov to double Lyon’s lead, following a through ball from his Portuguese-speaking teammate.
In the second half, the Portuguese player once again proved to be the main threat facing the Parisian defence, forcing Safonov into a save with a curling shot. But it was his running and fighting spirit that made the biggest impression. The Portuguese player won 10 of his 16 duels and, crucially, advanced the ball 149 metres over the course of the match, 118 metres of which came from his dribbling alone. That is significantly more than the Parisian wingers Désiré Doué (73 metres gained, 28 of which were with the ball at his feet) and Bradley Barcola (30 metres and 24 metres).
Fofana’s misfortune proved to be his good fortune
In terms of value for money, Afonso Moreira is undeniably one of the best signings of the summer in the Ligue 1 transfer market. Against Paris, the former Sporting player, named man of the match and rated 8.5/10 by the Maxifoot editorial team (see Debrief and Ratings here), scored his seventh goal and provided his tenth assist of the season, confirming his increasingly important status within the Lyon squad, despite having been initially signed as a backup for Malick Fofana.
The Belgian’s serious and prolonged right ankle injury in October has therefore worked entirely in his favour, to the point where he has become a key player for OL, a fact the club has realised the hard way in recent weeks when the Portuguese player was in turn sidelined and Lyon began to lose after a run of 13 consecutive wins. What might Lyon’s season have been like had Moreira been available for the match against Lens (2-2, 4-5 on penalties) in the Coupe de France, or had he been fully fit for the entire two-legged tie against Celta (1-1, 0-2) in the Europa League? A frustrating mystery.
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