Player Focus: Guillaume Hoarau (PSG)

Paris Saint-Germain look set to win their first league title since 1994. If they do manage to hold off Montpellier and Lille and lift Le Championnat the praise will go to the creative talents of Brazilian Nene and Parisian Jeremy Menez. However, one player that will deserve a huge mention in the credits is PSG’s big man Guillaume Hoarau.

After suffering from a shoulder injury the striker had to undergo surgery and missed four months of action. Returning against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League the brief substitute appearance was a happy one for Hoarau, scoring on his return.

Hoarau signed for PSG from Ligue 2 side Gueugnon back in 2007 and immediately was sent out on loan to Le Havre. Both parties couldn’t have hoped for a better return. Hoarau scored 28 goals as Le Havre gained promotion to Ligue 1. The Reunion born forward returned to his parent club and under Paul Le Guen enjoyed his best ever season in a PSG shirt with 17 goals in 33 games.

Ever since that season Hoarau has failed to score more than 10 league goals in a season. Antoine Kombouare replaced Le Guen at the PSG helm and during the former PSG defender’s time in charge Hoarau only found the net 15 times in 48 games. Injuries and a lack of form are mostly to blame for his poor scoring record.

Last season he was always a feature of Kombouaré’s first XI. Starting 31 of the possible 38 games; His nine goals and six assists helped him towards a WhoScored rating of 6.97. Dominant in the air, he also managed to attempt, on average, 3 shot a game, which was just less than Nene at 3.5, but the Brazilian did score 14 goals.

When QSI took over at the Parc des Princes it was no surprise that Hoarau was not going to be part of the future plans. Striker after striker was linked with a move to Paris, and with his injury early on it seemed Hoarau’s last season in the nation’s capital would be a disappointing finish.

Summer signing Kevin Gameiro has failed to delight the Parisians this season and although the former Lorient forward has scored 11 goals, his ratio of a goal every seven shots hasn’t exactly set the league on fire.

Once fully fit the pressure for new boss Carlo Ancelotti to give Hoarau a chance in the PSG attacking role steadily began to increase. Struggling to find a way past Evian at home, Ancelotti took a gamble and put Hoarau on to play alongside Gameiro. The improvement was instantaneous, no longer was Gameiro chasing lost causes, but he was racing onto Hoarau knockdowns. PSG would go on to win the game 3-1 Gameiro scoring the third, talk after the game was all about Hoarau’s impact and where Ancelotti could find a space in the team for the big man.

Ancelotti’s dilemma is trying to find a place for the creative talents of Nene, Menez and Javier Pastore, plus Gameiro, and Hoarau, it seemed, was the odd man out. That was until PSG travelled to play Lyon at the Stade Gerland.

In the previous week Hoarau had come on again against Montpellier and not only impressed but scored a late equaliser to save PSG from certain defeat. Ancelotti would reward him with a place in the starting XI against Lyon, at Gameiro’s expense. He wouldn’t let the Italian down. Opening the scoring with a fantastic strike from outside the box, he then set up substitute Ceara for PSG’s third as they looked to come back from a 4-2 deficit. The crowning moment would be heading in Mathieu Bodmer’s cross in the 94th minute, stealing a point for his side and showing that PSG have the fight to win this year’s title.

That moment alone could be the turning point in not only Hoarau’s season, but the catalyst for his side to go on to win what could still be a league and cup double. Now in four starts the forward has scored four goals and registered two assists, with his conversation rate currently better than Gameiro, averaging a goal every five shots. He was even kind enough to lay a chance on a plate to his strike-partner against Dijon, giving PSG another last minute goal and three points.

His aerial presence gives PSG a whole different dimension, winning 3.2 aerial battles per game - an average that is better than all of PSG’s centre backs. He is not going to drop deep and become a creative influence as his average of 14 passes per game shows, but he will give you an outlet and a fantastic presence in attack and during set-pieces.

Standing at 192cm, it is too obvious to pigeonhole Hoarau as just another aerial threat. He is very quick on his feet and possesses as much talent in his feet as his does in his head. He can drift wide and take on full-backs as well as playing with his back to goal. His abilities could be just what PSG’s current side need to go all the way.

Question marks over the form of fellow striker Gameiro will continue to be asked. The striker did go 613 minutes without a goal during his worst run this season, actually more than the 425 minutes of action Guillaume Hoarau has featured.

Wednesday night’s cup match against Lyon is another chance for the French striker to prove himself and add to the four league goals he has scored since his return. Last season he scored seven goals as PSG made the Coupe de France final before losing in the end to Lille. Could Hoarau be the spark that PSG need to win not just the league but also their first trophy in the QSI era?