Returning Thiago Silva Faces Fight to Dislodge Marquinhos and David Luiz at PSG

Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 1-1 draw by Olympique Lyonnais as their difficult start to the Ligue 1 season continued at the Parc des Princes on Sunday. Edinson Cavani gave the French champions the lead with an excellent header after 20 minutes, but Samuel Umtiti’s deflected 84th-minute effort saw les Gones ultimately leave the capital with a point.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc was disappointed with his players and bemoaned their inability to kill the game off at 1-0.

"We controlled the first half, but after the break we could feel we were losing control,” the Frenchman admitted to PSG.fr after the match. “Lyon really threw everything at us tonight, but I also think we weren't able to put away that second goal. That could have made the game safe. We can't afford for this to become a chronic problem. We know that we can do a lot better."

Jacques Brinon/Associated Press

Denied a fourth clean sheet of the campaign, PSG’s current central defensive pairing of recent arrival David Luiz and fellow Brazilian international Marquinhos should still consider themselves unlucky. In five of the six matches played in le Championnat so far, the pair have been at the heart of les Parisiens’ defence and have performed extremely well.

The Lyon draw was no different.

PSG captain and compatriot Thiago Silva has been absent since the ill-timed friendly against SSC Napoli following the season-opening 2-2 draw at Stade de Reims back in August—a match that the 29-year-old should arguably not have played in—yet his absence has barely been noticeable.

While the rest of Blanc’s team have failed to truly get going so far this campaign, the Marquinhos-Luiz partnership has been one of few continued positives.

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According to Canal+ Thiago Silva should be ready to play against Barça. They also say Blanc is very happy with Marquinhos-David duo, though.

— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStats) September 21, 2014"

Canal+ reported on Sunday night that Silva is likely to be fit in time to face Barcelona in PSG’s second UEFA Champions League Group F game later this month (h/t Selecao Brasileira's tweet). However, it is not certain that the South American will walk right back into this team considering the way that his fellow Selecao stars are performing.

Considering the capital club’s current performance issues, it could actually prove detrimental for Blanc to bring a recovering Silva back into the fold, with Marquinhos and Luiz faring so well in his absence.

Like in the draw with AFC Ajax earlier in the week, the pair were unlucky to have conceded a goal at the end of the match. Simply because PSG allowed Lyon an equaliser, though, it should not render their performance useless.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

For the best part of the Lyon match, like in Amsterdam, Marquinhos and Luiz were solid, composed and authoritative. For all of the fuss made following the latter’s meltdown at the FIFA World Cup this summer, he has performed extremely well so far this season.

Silva, although a defender of the highest quality, is not likely to be at his best by the time Barcelona visit Paris. Blanc is arguably better off allowing his current central defenders to build on performances like the Lyon one and work on fixing the issues in the team that surround them instead.

If PSG can remain tight defensively against the Spaniards, then they are capable of inflicting damage at the other end as Luiz Enrique’s side are not as strong at the back as PSG are. However, can Blanc tell Silva that he is keeping him on the bench for what will be the biggest match of the season so far?

Silva also has something of a point to prove once he is back to full fitness.

Brazil coach Dunga recently omitted him from his next squad for the matches in early October, supposedly because of his current injury. Yet, if Silva plays against Barcelona, that clash is before the Selecao squad meet up for the Argentina and Japan encounters, and proves that his fitness is not an issue.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Silva’s stock has fallen somewhat, it seems. Although his status as one of the best central defenders in the game is not yet under threat, he no longer is a clear choice as the leading figure. Considering how Marquinhos and Luiz have fared without him at club and international level, Blanc must consider keeping Silva out of the side until an obvious moment presents itself for the PSG No. 2 to slot back in.

Perhaps of greater concern for Le President than the Barcelona game will be what he does with the three long-term.

Marquinhos has proved now that he is ready for regular first-team football and moving Luiz into midfield does not look possible for the moment—although it offers an interesting new option to Blanc considering the current problems—so how will he accommodate all three?

It could be that Marquinhos and Luiz’s good form means that Silva’s eventual return pushes one of the current midfield three out, and not one of the two in-form Brazilians.