Pauleta up and running at PSG

By Matthew Spiro

After a frustrating start to his Paris Saint-Germain FC career, Pedro Miguel Pauleta was smiling again on Saturday as he inspired his new club to a much-needed 2-0 victory over EA Guingamp.

Problems settling in 
Prior to Saturday's match, the normally prolific forward had scored just once in his first five appearances for PSG, who as a consequence were struggling in the bottom half of the table. Indeed, the Portugal international had become so concerned by his mini-goal drought that he confessed to reporters last week he was having major problems settling in at the Parc des Princes.

Unproductive start
"I've never had such an unproductive start to a season," Pauleta said. "Even at [RC] Deportivo La Coruña I managed to score a few goals at the beginning, and at Bordeaux I'd have at least two or three by now."

Lack of service
The 30-year-old dismissed suggestions that he had lost his sharpness in the box, instead claiming that a lack of service was the reason for his poor return. "It's not just that I haven't scored, I haven't even had any chances," he explained. "That's the most frustrating part. Against Toulouse [FC], I think I had one shot on goal in the entire match. That's just not normal."

Sympathetic Halilhodzic
PSG coach Vahid Halilhodzic was sympathetic towards his €12m summer signing. "The other players aren't responding to his calls," the Bosnia-Herzegovnian said. "When I was a striker at [FC] Nantes [Atlantique] I also had team-mates who wouldn't give me the ball, so I understand perfectly how he feels."

Experimenting with formations
Halilhodzic spent last week experimenting with different formations, hoping to find a system that would get more out of Pauleta. Against Guingamp he settled on 4-2-3-1, choosing to drop Pauleta's strike-partner Reinaldo - the club's top scorer this season with three goals - in order to accommodate three creative midfield players behind the former Bordeaux man.

Benachour included
Tunisian international Selim Benachour was the most interesting inclusion. He made his first start of the season tucked in behind Pauleta, while Serbo-Montenegrin international Branko Boskovic started on the left and Frenchman Fabrice Fiorèse on the right. The tactics worked a treat as PSG's movement caused Guingamp endless problems in the opening stages, with Benachour in particular linking up well with Pauleta.

No surprise
The striker had already been denied twice by Guingamp goalkeeper Ronan Le Crom when the visitors were reduced to ten men following the 33rd-minute dismissal of Boskovic. The red card made little difference to the pattern of play, and it came as no surprise when Fiorèse gave PSG the lead in the 66th minute after latching on to Pauleta's incisive pass.

Pauleta's relief
A revitalised Pauleta sealed victory soon after, stroking home a penalty after he himself had been brought down. Halilhodzic was gushing with praise for Pauleta after the match, but also praised Benachour for providing the sort of passes that the striker had been craving. "I needed someone who could carry out his defensive duties but also play early passes forward for Pauleta," said the coach. "Selim did exactly that."

Benachour hope
Benachour is now hoping his apparent compatibility with Pauleta will help him play more regularly. "To play with someone of Pedro's calibre was an amazing experience," enthused the young playmaker. "He makes such good runs he is always easy to find. I just hope I'll get another chance to play with him." If he continues to provide Pauleta with the sort of service he did on Saturday, Halilhodzic will be left with little choice.