Paris Saint-Germain: Ranking Best and Worst Players for February

February was a mixed month for Paris Saint-Germain. Still challenging in four different competitions, the side from the capital advanced to the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, cruised into the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France and were impressive in their Champions League tie against Chelsea. However, in the league, it was more of a case of missed opportunities.

The month started with two away games, and the 1-0 win over Lille will see them take on Bastia in the Coupe de la Ligue final. The month ended with a fairly comfortable 3-1 victory over Toulouse at the Parc des Princes as they finished a run of four straight home games.

Players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani played their part without ever really impressing on a consistent basis, and it is hard to point blame at individuals for the shock 2-2 draw against Caen.

There have been some excellent performances through the month of February, although one or two need to step up for what will be a crucial run of games in March.

Here are PSG's best and worst players for February.

Worst: No. 3 Gregory van der Wiel

Francois Mori/Associated Press

It has been an up-and-down month for the Dutch right-back. He started three of PSG's six games, but he rarely made an impact when he was on the pitch. It has led to a huge question mark being raised over his future.

Defensively, Van der Wiel has never been the most impressive performer, and now with Brazilian Marquinhos showing that he can play there during the more challenging fixtures, the natural attacking right-back has lost his place.

"

Questions about van der Wiel going into this one (as @Zonal_Marking pointed out) and he has been far from convincing thus far #PSGCHE

— Football Collective (@fbcollectivecom) February 17, 2015"

Serge Aurier has also been given a few chances to play since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, and although he has picked up an injury, Blanc seems to favour his contribution to the team over the Dutchman.

With two challengers playing better than Van der Wiel, it could be a frustrating end of the season for the defender.

Best: No. 3 Adrien Rabiot

Jacques Brinon/Associated Press

This has been the month when 19-year-old Adrien Rabiot has made his claim for a place in the PSG midfield. Although he featured in only three of their games, his performances make him worthy of a place at the top end of this list.

"

Adrien @Adriien_Rabiiot starred for @PSG in Week 26, @PGNtep boosted his stats too - check out Statattack: http://t.co/ocSXv1jWyb #Ligue1

— Ligue1 (@Ligue1) February 24, 2015"

The midfielder's wonderful strike against Toulouse, firing in after Ibrahimovic's delicious backheel, opened the scoring in PSG's 3-1 victory. He was then in the right place at the right time to turn in Javier Pastore's cross in the second half.

As Thiago Motta and Yohan Cabaye struggle for form and fitness, Rabiot is doing his best to show Laurent Blanc that he has a bright future in the PSG midfield.

Worst: No. 2 Yohan Cabaye

Michel Euler/Associated Press

In all honesty, you could probably add Cabaye to this list for any month this season. It's not that he has been dreadful, but from what you have come to expect from a current France international, Cabaye constantly lets you down and disappoints.

In February, he made two starts, but the second lasted only 15 minutes, as he had to come off injured against Caen. The 29-year-old did manage to get on the scoresheet against Nantes as PSG won 2-0 in the Coupe de France, but it was a fleeting highlight in what was a disappointing month for Cabaye.

Best: No. 2 Marquinhos

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Marquinhos made a statement when his superb performances helped cover Thiago Silva’s absence at the start of the season. In February, he put an exclamation mark on that point. Not only has he shown that he can slot easily into the centre of the defence beside his compatriot and captain, he can also play at right-back almost effortlessly and improve the solidity of the PSG back line.

"

PSG much improved 2nd half. Deserved a draw at least. Thought Marquinhos and Verratti were excellent. Still fancy Chelsea to progress.

— Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) February 17, 2015"

Marquinhos featured in all six of PSG's games in February as the club conceded five times, although he wasn't on the pitch when they collapsed against Caen.

He has shown himself to be a very good one-on-one defender. He reads the game very well, either when at right-back or through the centre. You could argue that he needs to be a little more attack-minded when playing the full-back role, but hard to criticise when it's not his natural position.

"

Marquinhos also reaffirmed his happiness at PSG. "I am happy to be here, at a great club with huge ambitions & always looking to progress."

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) February 28, 2015"

This season, you could claim that he has been PSG's most consistent defender.

Worst: No. 1 Ezequiel Lavezzi

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

The most frustrating thing about Ezequiel Lavezzi's play in February is that he has been given a genuine chance to win his regular place back, but he has failed to step up. He may not have put in the worst overall performances, but when given the chances and opportunities he has been handed, he should have done so much better.

Starting the month with two substitute appearances, he would go on to start four out of their six games, with only a goal against Caen to show for it.

"

PSG have wasted ridiculous money on Luiz & Lavezzi but if they can add Pogba to Verratti & Marquinhos, that's one hell of a core to build on

— James Piercy (@piercy360) February 17, 2015"

Unfortunately, most of his performances have included a lot of running, but without any purpose. His game seems to lack a cutting edge, definitely a lot less than what we saw at the same stage last season. Compare this to the Lavezzi that opened the scoring for PSG against Chelsea at the Parc des Princes in 2014, and this is a shadow of the player.

Best: No. 1 Marco Verratti

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

It wouldn't be outrageous to say that without the performances of Marco Verratti during the month of February, PSG would not still be competing on all four fronts.

The Italian midfielder was superb in PSG's away draw with Lyon. He stepped up the level of his performance as they drew against Chelsea with the same score and will be key going into the second leg.

"

Verratti has been a talented player for many years. It was clear at Pescara, let alone PSG.

— Peter Galindo (@GalindoPW) February 21, 2015"

As Thiago Motta declines, Verratti is constantly stepping up. He still needs to calm his petulance down a little—that was evident in the cup win over Lille—but you wouldn't want it to soften his tenacious edge.

"

Marco Verratti game by numbers vs. Chelsea: 88.8% tackles won 100% headed duels won 2 interceptions 65 passes pic.twitter.com/PyNs9hKEsV

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 17, 2015"

You still want him to contribute a little more going forward, but you can see that he has the ability to do it all. PSG's midfield trio can be a little sterile sometimes as they look to pass teams to death, but when the pressure is ramped up, Verratti lives for the combat and the challenge. If he can turn that into dominance in the smaller games, he will be unstoppable.