What can PSG do to bring Cavani back

It is always hard when you move from familiar surroundings to an entirely new city, to live among new people, to start learning a different language. Initially, the struggle is not always with the people and the new atmosphere, but within one's own mind adjusting to the change. And on top of that, having to manage 11 of the world's best athletes and having to retain the club's title at one of the toughest leagues in the world. Paris Saint-Germain's new coach Unai Emery might be facing that level of trouble in settling down in a new city over the past few months. But there is one more person at the Paris club who has been struggling to adjust at the club since three years - Edinson Cavani.

Signing a coach of Unai Emery's calibre is making a statement on the part of president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The arrivals of Jese Rodriguez, Grzegorz Krychowiak, and Hatem Ben Arfa will surely help them once the players settle down. But it is very naive to blame transfer activity when other clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have done wonders by getting the best out of the things at their disposal. That is why expectations are high for the case of Edinson Cavani and his role under Unai Emery.

After arriving at PSG, he could not be played in his favoured role of central striker which was reserved for the more charismatic Swede. Both of them could not be played as a strike pair, as the style enforced by then coach Laurent Blanc could not be compromised. The only way to play regularly was to be pushed wide to the wings, which Cavani did not enjoy much.

But injuries to the knee further aggravated his situation. After coming back from his knee injury in 2013, the Uruguayan seems to have lost some part of his usual self. And a relapse of the injury over the past two years seems to have created a barrier in his mind as his moves became more predictable and his hunger for goals looks to have gone into hibernation.

While psychological hindrances can play a big part in a player's performances, manager's involvement can help any player to come out of the rut. Following his big-money transfer from Liverpool to Manchester City, Raheem Sterling was booed by his former club's fans while his new manager Manuel Pelligrini's tactics made him a target for critics. His movement on the wing was stunted and his performances have only gone downhill from there. But he looks a totally different player under Pep Guardiola this season. And Guardiola publicly announcing that the youngster as a part of his plans seems to have drastically improved Sterling's game. While Emery has declared his confidence in Cavani after his horror show against Arsenal, there is far more for the Basque tactician to work on.

Clearly, Emery's 4-3-3 formation at PSG has made the team a disjointed unit as there is a need for a bridge to be built between the attack and the defence. While the defence looks decent, it is Emery's use of his midfielders and attackers that are costing PSG and Cavani. Players such as Jese Rodriguez and Ben Arfa are still unable to know whether they are going to start every game, while Angel Di Maria's direct runs down the wing have been cut out in the favour of hold-up play. Blaise Matuidi who is best while playing in the middle is being played on the wings.

Adding to these changes, the manager's main aim should be to talk to Cavani personally to help him gain back his confidence before translating it to the pitch. While Cavani is not really a fan favorite at the Parc des Princes, with some help from his manager, he can easily erase the memory of his recent performances from their minds. It will take more effort than usual from Emery, but it's definitely not impossible to bring Cavani back to his best.