Emery evasive as PSG grapples with penalty problem
PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery refused to name his firstchoice penalty taker on Thursday in the wake of Neymar and Edinson Cavani’s apparent falling-out against Lyon last week.
The Ligue 1 leader travels to Montpellier on Saturday looking to make it seven straights wins to kick off the season after smashing spending records in the transfer window to compile the fearsome ‘MCN’ front line of Neymar, Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.
However, South American pair Neymar and Cavani argued over who should take a penalty in the 2-0 win over Lyon, only for Cavani to see his effort saved by Anthony Lopes, prompting Neymar to walk away shaking his head in disgust.
“The two players who will be taking the penalties are Cavani and Neymar,” Emery told a news conference on Thursday.
“(That is) because they’re capable of assuming this responsibility, but other players can take them.
“During training we practise penalties because when the decisive moment arrives and we can win a title with penalties, we will need more than two.
“Last year, the penalty taker was Cavani, this year with the arrival of Neymar there are two. Who is number one and who is number two? I will make that decision.”
Despite the penalty furore, PSG has been in irresistible form and leads reigning champion Monaco by three points at the top of the early standings.
However, Spaniard Emery, who is in his second season at the PSG helm after arriving from Sevilla, may opt to make some changes for the trip to Montpellier with Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich in mind.
Monaco kicks off the weekend action with a trip to Marcelo Bielsa’s struggling Lille on Friday.
Leonardo Jardim’s principality side bounced back from a 4-0 thrashing at Nice by seeing off Strasbourg 3-0 last week, with Radamel Falcao’s brace taking him to nine league goals for the season already.
Monaco welcomes Porto to Stade Louis II in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Jardim ruled out making wholesale changes.
“My message doesn’t change: the next match is the most important,” he said.
“It’s not possible for a player to save himself for the Champions League. If he does, he could also miss out on that match.”
Lille has had a terrible start to the season after Bielsa’s arrival and is on a five-match winless run since beating Nantes in its opening match.
Bielsa bullish
Bielsa abruptly resigned as Marseille coach after its first game of the season in 2015, but the 62-year-old former Argentina manager said there would be no repeat at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
“I will not resign, I will not give up for any reason,” the enigmatic Argentine said.
“The only way for me to stop working here is for me to be dismissed from office, which does not depend on me.
“There is absolutely no possibility that I will give up my post.”
On Sunday, Marseille hosts Toulouse hoping to build on back-to-back wins over Amiens last weekend and against Turkish team Konyaspor in the Europa League.
Rudi Garcia’s OM, though, has been charged by UEFA over crowd trouble during its 1-0 victory in its group-stage opener after objects were thrown on the pitch and fireworks were set off in the stands.
Bordeaux, the only other unbeaten side along with PSG, hosts Guingamp, while third-placed Saint-Etienne faces Rennes.