Why PSG Quickly Sought Out Krychowiak After Poland's Euro Exit
PSG have quickly gone to work bolstering their squad this summer. The departure of Laurent Blanc after three years in charge brought about the arrival of Unai Emery and with it, an influx of new signings. Hatem Ben Arfa, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Thomas Meunier have been signed this summer to usher in a new age at the Parc des Princes. The signings of Ben Arfa and Meunier make perfect sense from the outside looking in.
The French champions needed replacements for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gregory van der Wiel, who left for Manchester United and Fenerbahce, respectively. In that regard, Krychowiak makes for the most intriguing acquisition. PSG boast one of the strongest midfields in Europe, with Emery following his appointment able to call on Blaise Matuidi, Thiago Motta, Javier Pastore, Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the park.
The Poland international was Emery’s midfield lieutenant during their time together at Sevilla, so a reunion comes as little surprise, all things considered. Krychowiak earned a better WhoScored rating (7.23) than any other Sevilla player in La Liga last season, so while his loss comes as a blow to the Spanish side, PSG are the evident beneficiaries.
His stand out strength comes in his impressive reading of the game, which is something PSG lack in the middle of the park. Of course, given their sheer dominance of Ligue 1, the French champions rarely come under increased pressured. Indeed, only Lyon (9.4) conceded fewer shots per game (9.6) in France’s top tier last term, but that isn’t to say a player of Krychowiak’s ilk is not a necessity.
He averaged a staggering 4.5 interceptions per league game last season, the joint-highest return in Europe’s top five leagues. Comparatively, Rabiot (1.9) came closest to matching that of all PSG central midfielders. Emery has evidently identified this area as one that needed improvement, despite the personnel available to him. A player of Krychowiak’s quality significantly bolsters the midfield and improve the defensive solidity.
It’s no coincidence that, considering their domestic dominance, PSG’s defenders are responsible for the highest number of interceptions per game at the club. With the backline stepping forward to cover the space left between the defence and midfield, it’s no wonder that they are cutting out any potential danger that may threaten their goal more than any other teammate.
Emery, though, is perhaps looking to get shot of the high defensive line, with the midfielders then tasked with carrying out the required duties to alleviate pressure on the goal. In Krychowiak, he has no finer in his position across Europe. The 26-year-old’s ability to cover ground in the middle third and cut out danger is comfortably one of his best assets - he boasts a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘ball interception’, which is deemed ‘very strong’.
While Blanc had established PSG in a 4-3-3 formation, Emery is widely expected to revert to a 4-2-3-1, which the 44-year-old started his Sevilla side in 34 of 38 league games last season. In that regard, he didn’t have the ideal holding midfielder to transition between the two formations until the capture of Krychowiak was confirmed. Thiago Motta and Matuidi are hardly the most suitable candidates to carry out the work Krychowiak does, while the latter would be robbed of his chances to burst forward and support the attack as he does so efficiently in a three-man midfield if deployed in a midfield two.
Motta, meanwhile, is on the wrong side of 30, with his immobility meaning that, while he is effective in a three-man midfield, he would struggle in the double pivot role that Emery favours to deploy. In Verratti, though, the Spanish boss boasts the ideal midfield partner for Krychowiak. The young Italian is not one to shirk his defensive duties, but his ball retention qualities means he needs a battler alongside him, that coming in the form of Krychowiak.
The Pole averaged 2.9 tackles per league game during his two years in Spain and with his knowledge of the French game garnered while at Bordeaux and Reims, Krychowiak’s capture makes for an astute piece of business by PSG. His arrival swells the midfield options available to Emery, while his European experience gained while with Sevilla, in both the Europa League and Champions League, will only benefit a PSG side hoping to go further than the quarter finals of the Champions League, where they have crashed out of the competition on the last four occasions.
On paper at least, PSG had one of the best midfields in Europe prior to Krychowiak’s signing, but his return to France only strengthens the Ligue 1 champions. While his acquisition may have raised eyebrows, the midfielder linking up with Emery once more could be the most significant piece of business PSG make this summer.
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