Why Marquinhos Will Have Key Role in PSG Ligue 1 and Champions League Challenge

If you asked 100 Paris Saint-Germain supporters who the most important player in their squad is, the majority would say Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or possibly Thiago Silva or Blaise Matuidi. Not many would give you the name of 20-year-old Brazilian defender Marquinhos.

But this season, the young centre-back will have a key role in PSG’s Ligue 1 and Champions League challenge.

It has been reported on Monday, via Goal.com, that summer signing David Luiz will miss Tuesday’s friendly against Ecuador after picking up a knee injury against Colombia in Miami.

It is not yet known how bad the injury could be, with the player’s agent declaring that it wasn’t too serious.

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David Luiz's agent has claimed that his client's knee injury picked up in the recent Brazil victory over Colombia is nothing serious.

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) September 7, 2014"

However, it casts doubt over PSG’s season, especially if head coach Laurent Blanc has to play huge periods of the season without his €95 million first-choice centre-back pairing of David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

Thiago Silva has been injured since he pulled his right thigh muscle in a friendly against Napoli at the start of August. The former Brazil captain will hopefully make a successful return in September, but PSG will want to be cautious in rushing back their captain too quickly.

Injury to David Luiz would leave PSG with Marquinhos and Zoumana Camara as the only fit centre-backs. New signing Serge Aurier could also play in the centre of the defence, but it would be far from ideal.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

It’s ironic that the Parisians were close to letting Marquinhos go this summer—the young Brazilian was close to a move to Barcelona, per Stefan Cortes of Goal.com, but now he will become one of PSG’s most important players this season.

After winning the Trophee des Champions against EA Guingamp in Beijing, PSG are now targeting an unthinkable quintuple: winning the league, Champions League, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue.

To achieve this remarkable feat, Blanc will need to call on his squad to step up when needed. David Luiz and Thiago Silva will need to be able to perform close to their best if PSG want to lift the Champions League. That will mean using Marquinhos more and more as the other fixtures pile up.

PSG fans shouldn’t worry, though, as the 20-year-old has already shown he is very capable at this level and is perhaps worthy of being on the same level as Silva and Luiz.

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Last season Marquinhos made 21 appearances in Ligue 1, 17 of them were from the start, and it has continued this season. With David Luiz missing the start of the season and Thiago Silva’s injury, Marquinhos has started all four league games this campaign.

Apart from in the opening game of the season against Stade de Reims, PSG have picked up three clean sheets. More has been made of the fact that David Luiz has yet to concede a goal in Ligue 1, but the statistics show that the performances from his younger teammate have made a huge difference.

According to WhoScored.com, Marquinhos is ahead of David Luiz in all of the defensive categories. He has made more tackles this season and is averaging more interceptions and clearances per game.

It will be a huge relief for Blanc that his young defender has started so well, as it is likely that he will go on to play even more games than he managed last season. With the amount of league games remaining and a full Champions League campaign ahead, that could add up to around 47 matches, not counting the upcoming domestic cup competitions.

With Thiago Silva’s recent injury problems leaning on the edge of becoming a regular issue, it will pile the pressure on David Luiz to play near enough every game, which is far from ideal. It is very unlikely that both of PSG’s first-choice defenders will be able to play all 47 games together.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

There is a scenario that Marquinhos could go on to play just as many games as PSG’s €95 million duo. Playing around 20-25 games would be ideal for the young defender, it would give him a great platform to expand his game and develop as a potential world-class defender.

However, if he has to play 30-35 matches, it will be a huge test for the young player, stretching his physical and mental abilities to the limit. How Marquinhos reacts to becoming an important first-team player will have a huge bearing on how successful PSG are this season.

If Blanc has to call on him too often, it could leave PSG short at the back, as good a squad player as veteran defender Zoumana Camara is, he can’t be relied on against the bigger sides in France and Europe.

For PSG to fight on all four fronts, Blanc will hope that his first-choice duo can stay fit, healthy and available, but he will sleep easily for now, knowing that his young star, Marquinhos, is ready to step up and play a key role this season.

Ibrahimovic may be the marquee name on the fans' lips at the start of the season, but by the end of the campaign; Marquinhos could be up there joint-billing with his Swedish teammate.