Paris Saint-Germain: Ranking Best and Worst PSG Players for April

Going into the month of April, Paris Saint-Germain were still fighting on four fronts. There was silverware up for grabs at the Stade de France and the chance to stay in the hunt for more if results went their way.

The month would prove critical in PSG’s hunt for the Ligue 1 title, and the condensed fixture list, which saw them play eight games in 23 days, saw some players step up and a few fall by the wayside.

April started with a 3-2 come-from-behind win against Olympique de Marseille at the Stade Velodrome, followed by their progression to the Coupe de France final with a 4-1 win over Saint-Etienne and the Coupe de la Ligue success over Bastia—not bad for a week’s work.

There was disappointment as injuries and suspensions saw Barcelona take a 3-1 lead back to Camp Nou in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final and eventually triumph 5-1 on aggregate. Regardless of the absences, PSG were well beaten by the better team, and some players need to look and ask themselves if they really gave those games everything they possibly could.

Edinson Cavani showed glimpses of his old self in the 4-0 win over Bastia and ended his Ligue 1 goal drought against Nice. His disappointing performances against Barcelona were quickly washed away when he scored three as the Parisians notched nine goals against Lille and Metz.

In PSG's eight games during April, only Bastia failed to score against Laurent Blanc’s side, so there are defensive issues to address. However, 24 goals at the other end shows that the forwards, despite the suspension of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, are firing at the best possible time.

Here are the best and worst performers for Paris Saint-Germain for the month of April.

Best No.3: Marco Verratti

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Sometimes, it is not just what a player does on the pitch that makes you realise just how good they are. The gaping hole in PSG’s midfield when Marco Verratti missed the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona due to suspension magnified how crucial he has become his season.

Verratti was instrumental in the cup wins over Bastia and Saint-Etienne. He was also one of the only players to come away with any credit as Barcelona won the second leg 2-0 in Spain.

The strong defensive presence that Verratti provides the PSG midfield has helped Javier Pastore blossom. The little Italian topped off the month by scoring just his second goal of the season to give PSG the lead in the 3-1 win over Metz.

Worst No.2: David Luiz

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

In a month when PSG only managed to keep one clean sheet in eight games, it’s easy to point fingers at the defence. Considering that clean sheet came when David Luiz wasn’t on the pitch and his performance against Barcelona took all the headlines, the Brazilian has to be at the bottom end of this list.

Regardless of how fit he was to face Barcelona in the Champions League, Luiz’s body shape was all wrong when faced with three of the best attackers in world football.

Excuses were made but looked weak when he played the full 90 minutes against Nice at the Allianz Riviera on April 18. He has looked off the pace at times, and against Metz on Tuesday, he didn’t look comfortable under pressure.

He may be good enough for the Ligue 1 challenge, but his ability at the very top still remains to be seen.

Best No.2: Ezequiel Lavezzi

Michel Euler/Associated Press

If the rumours are to be believed, Ezequiel Lavezzi will be on his way out of Paris Saint-Germain this summer, as per Liam Corless in the Daily Mirror.

The Argentinian did his best in April to at least try and go out with a bang. He scored a wonderful header against Saint-Etienne to put the icing on their progression to the Coupe de France final.

That was just the warm up, and he hit Lille with everything he has in his locker. Three goals, including a wonderful right-footed finish, in the Parc des Princes helped put Les Dogues to the sword.

Criticism toward Lavezzi has always regarded his lack of finishing ability. It was great to see him put his drive and energy to good use and finally hit the target.

Worst No.1: Yohan Cabaye

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

Injuries and suspensions in April gave Yohan Cabaye a huge opportunity to impress in the PSG midfield, but once again, and it seems to be a recurring theme for the former Newcastle United midfielder, he failed to grab it.

A fairly positive performance against Saint-Etienne was followed by two abject displays against Barcelona and another in the league win over Nice.

It was another chance for Cabaye to put in the sort of performance to show why PSG brought him back to Ligue 1 from the Premier League.

However, another poor month from the France international has left his future in doubt. It is unlikely that PSG will want to retain him for another season.

Best No.1: Javier Pastore

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

Argentinian playmaker Javier Pastore started in every game PSG played in April, and without his wonderful displays, it’s unlikely they would be in such a strong position going into May.

His performances against Barcelona left a lot to be desired, but outside of those, he has been phenomenal.

He scored a brace in the 3-1 win against Nice, but it’s with his creativity that he has excelled. In the game against Lille, Pastore had a hand in four of the six goals and was at his scintillating best.

To top it all off, in Tuesday’s game with Metz, the Argentinian picked up a hat-trick of assists, the first player to do that for PSG in 10 years.

No one came close to touching Pastore’s performances in April, and it is possibly his best month for PSG over a whole month since he signed from Palermo in 2011. It is now up to Blanc’s No. 27 to show he can do this on a consistent basis.