COMMENT: Zlatan may be struggling, but six goals in seven Champions League outings have made his strike partner Blanc's most precious commodity in Europe this season
Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the chief draw of Paris Saint-Germain but Edinson Cavani has proved that he is currently the man for the big occasion.
Trailing 1-0 at Parc des Princes against Chelsea, the Uruguayan and not the Swede kept PSG's Champions League dreams alive with an equaliser that turned the tide and ultimately secured a deserved 1-1 draw.
The hosts were lifeless during the first half and, though Branislav Ivanovic had given the visitors the advantage, it was a strike forged from a rare foray forward from the visitors.
PSG then found themselves facing one of football's sternest of examinations: breaking down the massed ranks of a Jose Mourinho side intent on defending an advantage.
Until Cavani headed the equaliser from a Blaise Matuidi cross 10 minutes into the second half, it was difficult to know from where their riposte might arrive. Yet the Uruguayan, who scored in Napoli’s 3-1 first-leg win over the English club during their victorious 2011-12 campaign, showed the instincts to find the space and convert.
It was his sixth goal of the competition, leaving him in the wake of only Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano.
Before the 28-year-old’s intervention, right-back Gregory van der Wiel had been PSG’s best attacking outlet, only for the Dutchman’s crossing to let him down at the moment of truth.
Ibrahimovic – with a notoriously poor scoring record at this juncture of the competition – had offered an improvement upon some lacklustre Ligue 1 displays. But only after his team-mate struck did the 33-year-old draw real action from Thibaut Courtois in the visiting goal.
Late in the game, though, it was Cavani who conjured the best chance to find a winner. Having again linked well with the industrious Matuidi, he embarrassed Nemanja Matic with some quick feet but narrowly failed to find his mark in the corner of the net.
"I was impressed with Cavani in the second half," ex-Manchester United star Paul Scholes told ITV. "His movement was very good. He had a quiet first half but looked PSG's most threatening player after the break."
The poor state of PSG’s squad was discussed in the build up to this clash. As many as five potential starters had been ruled out in the days and - in Thiago Motta’s case - hours before the game. But while the likes of Zoumana Camara highlighted the weakness of PSG's bench, Blanc did not need to dip into his reserves as his team rallied in the second period.
The under-pressure coach will have been relieved. Without starters like Thiago Motta and Lucas Moura - Blanc's outstanding attacking figure this season - there was precious little proven, top-level experience amongst the home substitutes.
While Mourinho could call upon Didier Drogba or Loic Remy to bolster his attacking line, the relatively unknown Jean-Christophe Bahebeck was the best PSG could muster. While the visitors could summon star names such as Juan Cuadrado, Filipe Luis and Oscar, the hosts had journeyman professionals Nicolas Douchez and Camara plus some promising youngsters.
It is a difference that continues the emphasise the gulf between the very best in Europe and a club still aiming to attain that status.
Had it not been for Cavani’s finish shortly after the break, PSG’s dream of achieving that grade would have remained a distance away. Progression at Stamford Bridge in three weeks remains a difficult challenge – they failed to protect a 3-1 advantage last season, after all. But with the likes of Cavani in tow it is not one beyond their abilities.
