Last season, Paris Saint-Germain achieved a miraculous 36-game unbeaten record, topping the Ligue 1 and even the whole of Europe. Their terrifying attacking line, composed of Ibrahimovic, Cavani, and Di Maria, scored an astonishing 102 goals in a single season, earning them countless praises.
Apart from the Champions League, they won almost every other award they could that season.
But with the jade in front and the box behind, it was precisely because their performance last season was so dazzling that, although they were still third in the league this season, Emery felt immense pressure.
Di Maria's injury in the first half of the season certainly affected the team's performance; otherwise, with their star striker Cavani, they would have fared much better.
Fortunately, the most difficult period has passed, and Di Maria's return from injury has led to the team's recent improved performance.
He believes that with these two players, taking down Monaco shouldn't be a big problem.
Emery was quite surprised by Monaco's performance in the league this season. No one expected that after selling four key players, Monaco would not only not retreat, but would become stronger and stronger, showing a strong momentum to challenge for the top spot in the league.
The team is especially coveted by the 19-year-old prodigy Mbappe. Emery has expressed his high hopes for the young player's future on more than one occasion in public.
The emergence of Kylian Mbappé was already a pleasant surprise, but Monaco has recently produced another amazing goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet in 9 games and making crucial saves in every match. It can be said that Monaco's recent stability is closely related to this Portuguese-Chinese goalkeeper.
Despite the goalkeeper's somewhat magical performance, Emery still felt that his own star striker Cavani was stronger, because he always performed well against strong opponents but struggled to score even an open goal against weaker ones, relying mainly on his casual style.
The clash between the two should be quite interesting.
He had also watched Monaco's last three matches. Tactically, Jardim had clearly shifted the team's focus to strengthening the defense, and the team was making more off-the-ball runs.
Eleven goals in three games, including a remarkable seven long-range shots, a statistic that has caught Emery's attention.
Just as Emery was about to continue studying Monaco's tactics, there was a knock on the office door.
The door wasn't closed; you could see who was knocking as soon as you looked up.
Upon seeing that the visitor was Cavani, Emery smiled and invited, "Edinson, you've arrived. Please have a seat. What are your thoughts on our upcoming opponent?"
Cavani, who had just arrived, was guessing why the head coach had called him here, and sure enough, the pressure came from Monaco.
He was prepared for this, so he brushed his long hair back and smiled confidently:
"Coach, there's nothing to worry about against Monaco. They weren't our match before, and they still aren't now. I'm also looking forward to facing their goalkeeper. Isn't he on a goalless streak lately? Ending that streak is exactly what I want to do."
Cavani certainly had the right to say that, and his words convinced Emery to nod in agreement.
"Alright, get ready. Angel will be feeding you good chances in the next match, so you can't throw up again!"
Cavani could only manage an awkward laugh at the coach's reminder.
In the last match against Nantes, Cavani clearly had a chance to score again in the final moments, but when Di Maria provided a pass, he thought it was too soft and shot wide.
This isn't the first time the opponent has refused a soft pie, and Emery doesn't want them to make the same mistake again in the next match.
After saying goodbye to Cavani, Emery called over the team's other two forwards and explained what they should do in the attacking third for the next game.
There has never been a shortage of goalkeepers in this world, but goalkeepers are not omnipotent. They are human too, and as human beings, they have weaknesses. Even the best goalkeepers like Buffon, Casillas, Cech, and Neuer dare not say that they can defend against every goal 100%.
Emery believes that the opponent's brilliance is simply because they haven't encountered a striker like Cavani before.
...
"Ray, Cavani, this Uruguayan striker, is different from many others. Uruguay's outstanding performance in recent years is entirely due to their attacking lineup, and Cavani happens to be one of them. You absolutely cannot be careless in the next game."
At Monaco's training ground, Pavon, who had just finished training with Lei Ming, solemnly began to introduce Lei Ming to several of Paris Saint-Germain's star strikers.
Cavani is undoubtedly the main subject of Pavón's presentation.
In order to make Lei Ming understand the other party's characteristics and style, Pavin had to explain everything to him in great detail.
Although he is a right-footed player, he sometimes uses his left foot, and he also needs to pay more attention to the guy's imagination.
Raglan, backheel, volley, chip shot, header... any way that can lead to a goal is possible. In Pavón's words, Cavani possesses all the qualities of an excellent striker.
Awareness, positioning, shooting skills, technique, imagination, and control—it is precisely because of these qualities that he has earned the reputation of being a Uruguayan striker. It's worth noting that he won the Serie A Golden Boot for three consecutive seasons when he first debuted. Without these qualities, it would have been impossible for him to achieve this.
Last season, his partnership with Ibrahimovic and Di Maria struck fear into the hearts of French Ligue 1 teams, leaving them in despair. Pavon still remembers their helplessness when facing PSG last season, a situation that even Subasic couldn't salvage.
Fortunately, Paris Saint-Germain's performance has clearly declined this year without Ibrahimovic, giving them and Nice the confidence to challenge them.
Lei Ming listened attentively to the coach's explanation, and was also very curious about just how outstanding Cavani could be.
It just so happens that I'm currently lacking some top-class strikers in my roster, and this current French Ligue 1 top scorer can be added to fill that gap.
"Ray, did you remember all the players I just mentioned?"
"It's okay if you can't remember them. These are their files. Take your time to look at them. Also, here is a compilation of each of their attacks. Take a look at it when you have time. It will be helpful to you."
Pavin took Lei Ming's coaching very seriously, even more so than Subasic. Lei Ming could feel the coach's affection. Looking at the materials Pavin had prepared, he nodded and took them over.
He also expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, coach. I will try my best."
"Yeah, keep it up, I hope you can keep the record." Pavin valued Lei Ming's goalless streak even more than Lei Ming's.
They've already had nine games in a row, and they absolutely can't afford to falter at this point. To that end, Pavin has been working overtime for several nights in a row to collect a lot of information on their opponents, all in an effort to give Ray a greater chance of winning.
His achievements are his greatest pride.
"Yes, I will."
Lei Ming nodded emphatically.
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