Paris Saint-Germain got their International Champions Cup tour off to a winning start on Sunday evening with a 3-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ohio.

Pre-season friendlies are tough to judge, especially when a large amount of first-team players are still absent from action and various clubs are at different stages of their preparations.

For PSG and manager Unai Emery, this is just the beginning of their new era, and the Spanish coach spoke of his delight afterward—not just at the result but also with the work his players put into the game.

“I am very happy but today the match was good for the work we did,” he told the team’s official website after the game. “We’ve done a lot in training and the match was a continuation of that work.”

He continued:

The result was not really the most important thing for us, but of course we want to win as many games as possible and today we did that. But like I said, what’s important is the way the team worked together and the way they played as a team. It was a good match. It was good for the players’ fitness, but also for demonstrating our team’s philosophy and how we want to play.

Ligue 1 starts at the beginning of August, so these games in the U.S. are to make sure the champions are up to full fitness for the campaign ahead. The expectation is the club will once again lift the French title, and it will be their performance in Europe on which the Parisians are ultimately judged.

What is important at this stage is Emery puts his stamp on the team, the way PSG play and how the players react to the Spaniard’s methods. That’s something Brazilian full-back Maxwell emphasised after the game, per the club’s website: “We won the match and that’s always important but right now it’s all about finding our rhythm and carrying out what we’ve been doing in training to try and adapt ourselves as quickly as possible to the coach’s philosophy.”

It’s difficult to know what to take from Sunday’s friendly. PSG started the game in a 4-1-4-1 formation. The defence is perhaps close to what you could expect from the first team, with the exception of Presnel Kimpembe beside Thiago Silva—although the 20-year-old will be hoping for increased minutes this season.

In midfield, Benjamin Stambouli was the anchor, with Adrien Rabiot and Lorenzo Callegari ahead of the former Tottenham Hotspur man. Jonathan Ikone and Lucas Moura provided the width and Hatem Ben Arfa played as the No. 9.

However, it was the full-backs who stole the show. Serge Aurier, looking for a fresh start under Emery, opened the scoring. A Ben Arfa’s free-kick was saved by Samir Handanovic, who uncharacteristically couldn’t hold onto his effort, and the Ivorian was quickest to react, firing the ball into the empty net.

Later in the second half, in a move that would have seemed impossible last season, the former Toulouse right-back was handed the captain’s armband and went on to score a second and pick up the man-of-the-match trophy.

“I’m happy for the team,” Aurier said after the game, per the PSG website.

He continued:

 

We were able to play to our game plan and follow our coach’s instructions. Even if there were a few moments of hesitation, I think there were more positives than negatives. Paris Saint-Germain has become a big institution. We’re happy to be able to count on the support of our fans wherever we travel in the world.

His second, PSG’s third, was more typical of Aurier. Substitute Alec Georgen was given too much time and space wide on the right following a short corner, and the 17-year-old played in a superb right-footed cross, which Aurier powered home with his head.

This is the perfect start to the season for the 23-year-old defender. He needs to wipe the slate clean from the last campaign, not to forget the mistakes he made—namely the infamous Periscope video—but to learn from them, move on and make this the turning point in his career.

His team-mates always stood by him publicly, and regardless of whether they were angered by his actions, this is a new start for everyone. Aurier is privileged he is such a good player. You would have to suspect if a lesser talent had made the same mistakes, they would have been cast aside.

This is likely his final chance, and with the potential to become one of the leading players on this team and even in Europe, he has to take it. He has started well, and Emery’s leadership might well have breathed new life into the full-back.

Aurier’s two goals were good, but they were topped by another defender looking to have an improved campaign this season.

Layvin Kurzawa replaced Maxwell at half-time, and he showed the qualities he could bring to the squad if allowed the chance.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure, free-kick duties are up for grabs. Ben Arfa’s effort in the first-half led to a goal for Aurier, but the French left-back upped the ante in the second with a stunning left-footed strike.

It was that good you had to watch a replay to make sure it had gone in.

That finish exemplified just what Kurzawa’s left foot is capable of and the danger he poses on the pitch. Although Maxwell is the 34-year-old veteran and the full-back with all the experience, this should be Kurzawa’s time to shine. 

The former AS Monaco man said, per PSG’s website:

Everyone played a good game. Now it’s down to us to carry on working hard in training so that we can win our remaining two matches. I felt confident for the goal but I have to think Hatem and Lucas for allowing me to take that free-kick. I found the back of the net and that’s great for the team.

During his time in the principality, the 23-year-old showed time and time again the threat he could provide going forward. That was backed up by the three league goals he scored for PSG last season in just 16 appearances.

Kurzawa’s apprenticeship is over. It is time for the defender to be allowed to step up and become, like Aurier, the future of PSG.

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