Neymar arrival will alter Unai Emery's tactical blueprint
The Ligue 1 side's coach will have a headache - albeit a welcome one - in deciding his starting 11 and formation if the Brazilian joins PSG.
The expected arrival of Neymar at PSG will give Unai Emery plenty to ponder about his starting formation for the 2017-18 season. As yet nothing official has been said about the potential 222 million euro transfer of the Brazilian superstar but Barça are already considering their options should one of their key players leave and Emery will have to start doing the same if he finds himself in charge of the forward in the near future. PSG will also have to think about thinning out their attacking options to accommodate Neymar with Edinson Cavani, Ángel di María, Julian Draxler, Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore, Gonçalo Guedes and Jesé already on the books at the Parc des Princes.
Jesé is the most obvious player Emery will target for the exit door after his PSG career was cut short by a loan spell at Las Palmas with the player failing to enter into his coach’s plans. As an indication of how far his stock has fallen, Las Palmas are not keen on extending Jesé's stay.
Emery could change formation to accommodate Neymar
The Spanish tactician may also choose to alter his formation to fit in more of his attacking elements. If he continues with a 4-3-3, Neymar could be deployed on the left as he has habitually been at Camp Nou, which would mean relegating Draxler to the bench despite the Germany international joining PSG from Wolfsburg only six months ago for 40 million euros and chipping in with 10 goals and three assists in 25 games for the club.
Another option for Emery is to switch to a 4-4-2. In that case Draxler would still fit into the starting line-up on the left, with Di María on the right, and Neymar joining Cavani as a striker. Although the formation would give PSG a formidable array of attackers the side would lose some of its midfield potency and surrender possession in favour of quick breaks.
A 4-2-3-1 would see Neymar playing on the wing or behind Cavani as a number 10, a possibility that will interest Emery. However, then the PSG coach would have a surplus of attacking players on the bench, including Moura, Pastore, Guedes and Jesé. As things stand, Emery has a serious overbooking but it is a problem many coaches would like to have.
