The Paris Saint-Germain star has not been able to justify his price tag after completing one year at the club and now, his performances and antics have started annoying Zlatan Ibrahimovic et all
Vanishing like thin air
As the referee blew the final whistle to put an end to an absorbing first Clasico of the Championnat between http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 and Paris Saint-Germain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic stormed off the pitch after exchanging the usual formalities with the opponent
players.
That was very ‘un-Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ of the Swede to walk away from a game in which he scored two brilliant goals without even saying a word to his teammates or the posse of journalists who were keen to listen to what the new interesting personality of
Ligue 1 had to say.
With the star striker going AWOL on everyone on that evening, a lot was said and was written in the papers. And, it has now become evident that the Swede was so angry at a few of his teammates’ performance during the game that he could not find the words
to describe it.
The hero of the evening was Ibrahimovic and had the former AC Milan man not scored those two brilliantly taken goals, PSG would certainly have been dealt their second defeat in as many games.
A lot of PSG players were not at their best including Marco Verratti, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thiago-Silva-c34903 and Javier Pastore. Verratti is still too young to be criticised while Silva has just started getting a hang of how things are done in France. However, the same excuse can
no more be applied for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Pastore-c18082.
The Argentine international arrived in Ile for a fee believed to be in the region of 42 million euros from Palermo last summer. Upon his arrival, the young midfielder was tipped to become a real star. However, things did not work out at all as Pastore showed
his inability to dominate big games.
After completing almost one year in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899, Pastore has still not shown any signs of being the star people proclaim him to be.
Lacking grinta
During Antoine Kombouare’s rein, Pastore played more or less as a deep-lying playmaker. However, Carlo Ancelotti insisted that the midfielder should play where he feels comfortable, that is just behind the two strikers as a pure number 10, the way Argentine
maestros have played over the years.
And, when the current season began, many people got the impression that Pastore had finally started realising his true potential. However, it was more of a true-false start as Pastore returned to his usual form at PSG.
In the last two games, Pastore’s impact on games has been non-existent.
“I feel good. Without being extraordinary, I think I was important,” were the words of the former Palermo man after PSG’s 2-0 win over Sochaux (Week 7 of the Championnat). During that game, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kevin-Gameiro-c20721 scored both goals for his side and it was Pastore
who provided the final pass for both goals.
Need for change in mentality
So over the moon at his performance was El Flaco that he even said that he is no more under the pressure of being the club’s most expensive signing last summer.
“I do not have that weight on my shoulders. I can miss a game, Ibrahimovic or Verratti go out to have a good one, we win, and my performances go unnoticed.”
However, in football, things don’t happen like this and that is not the right attitude by any means. One cannot rely on the performances of a select few players in order to register a good result. Such mentality will eventually be Pastore’s downfall and
a cause of further annoyance.
Already, rumours are rife that Pastore has been pampered way too much by the management so Ibrahimovic’s anger at Pastore should be taken as an early warning sign by Carlo Ancelotti.
Rather than talking about how things have changed from last season, Pastore should take a look at his teammates, who are now feeling let down by him. In addition, Pastore should also reassess his performance and where he is missing the trick if he really
wants to be remembered in good grace by his teammates and everybody associated with the club.
The rise of Marco Verratti should also be taken as an example by Pastore if he really aspires to realise his potential.
One cannot deny the fact that http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-c38029 is the kind of player who can singlehandedly win you games. However, even the mighty Swede has his limits and wants the burden to be shared by his colleagues, which Pastore is.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect bettor.com’s editorial policy
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