The Rocket League Championship Series is only a few weeks away. That leaves enough time for weekly team-by-team previews of the world’s best Rocket League teams. This series will act almost as previews for what to expect during Season 7 for each team. Check out the rest of the previews here.
The seventh preview thrusts Rocket League’s most mediocre team into the spotlight: PSG.
Season 6 Results: 3-4 in RLCS Season 6. 5th place finish. Beat Renault Vitality in Regional Championship to advance to LAN playoffs.
Off-season Movement: None.
Off-season Performance: 9th-12th place DreamHack Leipzig. 4th place DreamHack Leipzig Open Qualifiers. 2nd place WSOE Qualifiers. Group Stage at WSOE.
Team MVP: Emil “Fruity” Moselund
Realistic Team Goal: Qualify for LAN.
Paris Saint-Germain Esports decided to give their roster another go in the midst of the busy off-season that surrounded them after Season 6. Satisfied with their LAN appearance, PSG brought back the roster of Victor “Ferra” Francal, Thibault “Chausette45” Grzesiak, and Emil “Fruity” Moselund.
The French org finished second place in EU with a 6-1 record in Season 4. Chausette looked like one of the top five players in the world. They seemed like a team full of potential, but it never came to fruition.
In Season 5, PSG were unimpressive and finished 6th place in the region at 3-4. The team kick Dan “Bluey” Bluett and brought in Fruity for Season 6. He led the team in goal participation and PSG finished 5th with another 3-4 record.
Fruity — Image Courtesy of @ZeeboDesigns on Twitter
PSG pride themselves on tight defending and midfield control. They were last in the RLCS in saves per game because they allowed the fewest amount of shots on net. They had an absurd shot differential of +62 (for reference, the next closest team was +18). PSG does most of their work in the midfield, doesn’t allow opponents get shots on frame and keep shooting until a shot goes in.
They led the league in shots per game, but that wasn’t really a good thing. PSG finished fourth in goals per game despite their perceived onslaught on net. The offense relies on shooting until a defender makes a mistake or getting lucky instead of working through the defense to create higher quality looks.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The last two seasons, it hasn’t. Ferra and Chausette45 are probably the most known quantities in the RLCS this season. There will be no surprises or massive turnarounds in how they play. They’ve reached their ceilings and will supply average to above average play. Their solid play opens the door for Fruity to keep developing.
Fruity has to pop off for PSG to be anything other than mediocre this season. They’re organized enough to take care of lesser opponents, but are they talented enough to match the quality of the upper echelon? If Fruity’s playing his best, they can be.
There’s plenty of room for Fruity to grow after a solid rookie season. His stat line of 0.62 GPG, 0.64 APG and 1.43 SAPG is pretty solid for any player. It’s especially impressive given his inexperience. He was the best non Dignitas/Flipsid3 Tactics player in EU last season according to octane.gg’s rating system. If he continues to rise and improve his shooting percentage, PSG will punch above their weight class.
Ferra at the DreamHack Desk — Image Courtesy of @ZeeboDesigns on Twitter
Ferra is a consistent scorer who always finds himself in the right position for a shot. Chausette has really impressive mechanics and has incredible game sense.
He’s the one who keeps the rotations so tight and prevents so many shots. They’ve proven that they can maintain pressure, but they’ll need to prove that the pressure will lead to goals. That means Chausette and Ferra will have to reach beyond their comfort zone and try to score in more creative ways.
When PSG won DreamHack Leipzig in 2018, Bluey and Chausette scored countless redirects from long clears. Chausette is talented enough to execute slow plays. The offense needs more razzle dazzle in the form of demo plays, in-field passes and careful backboard usage.
PSG are talented and smart enough to make those adjustments. The issue of whether or not they’ll go through with it is yet to be seen.
The boys in Blue and Red have flirted with relegation previously. In Season 5, they benefited from historically bad seasons by exceL Esports and Fnatic to avoid dropping. Two teams have to fall, and the EU region is stacked with talent. It’s not unreasonable to say that PSG could be relegated.
PSG are not in the business of losing. If their soccer team doesn’t advance far in the UEFA Champion’s League, he’s gone. Unai Emery experienced it first hand after PSG fell to eventual champions Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Their Rocket League team will likely be no different.
The worst case for PSG is that the predictable offensive pressure doesn’t result in goals. Fruity doesn’t branch out any and the team gets undone by teams that know how to counter. Strategy will be essential in whether or not PSG succeeds.
Most teams in the RLCS are in more need than just a couple of tactical tweaks, so in that regard PSG are on decent footing. The issue is Ferra and Chausette may be tough to mold after having established their trademark play style. They’re both perfectly average players in the RLCS, but that will lead to more mid-table finishes for the team.
Chausette has a unique ability to drift into the background on the field sometimes. It’s his fatal flaw. He’s talented enough to carry the team but struggles to assert himself. If he doesn’t carry more of the load then it’ll all fall to Fruity. He might not be able to handle that role just yet.
TL;DR: PSG have a set identity and have continuity on their side, but have been painfully average over the last two seasons. If they don’t revolutionize their offense, they may have to confront relegation.
Featured image courtesy of PSG.
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