Marco Verratti tried to make ASSE disappear and his attacking midfielder Romain Hamouma. – Laurent Cipriani / AP / SIPA
If PSG did not shine for the debut of Mauricio Pochettino on the bench, Wednesday in the Cauldron (1-1), the main satisfaction came from Marco Verratti.
In a hybrid role of torchbearer-playmaker, the international Italian had a nice radiance, even sending a subtle assist to Moise Kean.
Will the new PSG coach seek to make Marco Verratti the equivalent of Christian Eriksen, his master to play during his heyday at Tottenham?
At the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium ,
Marco Will Verratti change into Christian Eriksen 2.0? Very attached to his 4-2-3-1 during his five and a half years at Tottenham (from 1303 at 2019), Mauricio Pochettino entrusted the keys of his team to the talented Danish midfielder, currently in perdition at Inter. For its premiere on the Parisian bench, Wednesday at
Saint -Etienne (1-1), the Argentinian coach chose to install the “Little Owl” in a rather similar role of playmaker. With Idrissa Gueye and Ander Herrera s ‘occupying defensive tasks behind him, the Italian international has suddenly changed register compared to the Tuchel years.
Swallowing kilometers as rarely, loving the game (69 balloons affected just by first period) and proving invaluable to the distribution (28 successful passes on 58 in the Saint-Etienne camp before the break), he seemed transfigured by his new hybrid position, between number 8 and , before marking time by after. His trainer explained his plan after the meeting, and we remember that Unai Emery had also pushed (in vain) in this direction when he arrived in the capital in 2016.
It’s hard to say where he played exactly tonight because he had a lot of freedom on the ground. He is a ” playmaker ” who can help the team. Its quality can allow it to evolve in different positions. “
Will Neymar inherit such axial freedom on his return?
Imagine, Marco Verratti even found himself in the middle of the opponent’s box, in a duel against Jessy Moulin. But rest assured, his naturalness then returned to a gallop since he has not even attempted to score his first goal in Ligue 1 since … May 2017! The advantage is that his altruistic choice was so surprising that Retsos was mystified by his caviar destined for Moise Kean, author of the Parisian equalizer (1-1, 22 e).
🦉 Marco Verratti struggled tonight! # ASSEPSG pic.twitter.com/vpmE8EzJtH
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@ Ligue1UberEats) January 6, 2019
The main difference between Marco Verratti and Christian Eriksen is undoubtedly this: the Dane inquired 58 goals and 80 assists with Spurs, against 9 goals and 54 offerings for the Italian in Paris, despite 24 more official matches. The meeting with
Can Mauricio Pochettino transform the inconstant middle of PSG, making it more efficient and finally attracted by the goal, to 28 years ? Well, in real life, this role of free creator seems to belong to Neymar on his return from injury. But to imagine Marco Verratti thinking about goal celebrations, at a time when nobody except maybe “Poch” is imagining that, that would have the mouth, right?