Marco Verratti Becoming Indispensable for Paris Saint-Germain This Season

On the eve of a huge Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain narrowly beat Stade Rennais 1-0 away on Friday night. It was far from their best performance, and once again they have the genius of Marco Verratti to thank for making the difference.

Ahead of the match, Blanc made it clear, via PSG’s official website, that he would again rotate the squad:

"We don't rest players for no reason. If we rotate the squad, it's to minimise the risk of injury. Before the match in Rennes, we'll look at how it might be to rest a couple of players. The idea is to field a competitive side in Rennes while keeping Tuesday's match in Madrid in mind."

It was, then, no surprise, even with Edinson Cavani and Javier Pastore out, that Blanc started with Thiago Motta and Verratti on the bench. Feeling under the weather, Zlatan Ibrahimovic also dropped out of the starting XI, but the Swede wouldn’t feature.

Facing a stubborn and resolute Rennes side, the French coach would call upon his Italian maestro to spark a moment of magic in the second half.

With the game deadlocked, Verratti would make his appearance in the 66th minute. Just nine minutes later PSG had the lead.

"

[Vidéo] Le but de #DiMaria face à Rennes avec (action avec Verratti et Lucas) pic.twitter.com/PKZiovmke4

— Actu Foot (@Actuafoot) October 30, 2015"

The 22-year-old Italian picked out Lucas on the left-wing with a beautiful long-ranging pass, who then picked out Angel Di Maria for the game-winning volley. Verratti won’t receive an assist for the majestic pass, but he deserves all the plaudits.

Once again, it was the little midfielder that came to PSG’s aid. So far this season he has been magnificent. Behind the goals and assists of the front three lies the industry, work rate and passing touches of Marco Verratti.

"

Passes réussies dans le camp adverse Stambouli: 17 en 65 mins Verratti: 22 en 25 mins

— David Wall (@1DavidWall) October 30, 2015"

With every game that passes, he shows just how much this current PSG team needs him. No one would have predicted that when he made the move from Pescara in Serie B to the French capital three years ago.

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

He is now, perhaps, the most important and vital member of the squad. He is almost indispensable to Blanc, and he will definitely have a huge role to play on Tuesday night.

After the game, speaking to beIN Sports (via the PSG website in French) Blanc was clear that it was mission accomplished for his team. They came for a win, but to also leave Brittany without any new injuries and although it was not easy, that's what they did.

He admitted that it could have been better, but due to the players picked there was an expected lack of understanding. Now the job is done they can move on to thinking about Real Madrid.

If PSG are to compete with the Spanish giants this week, they will need Verratti to be at his absolute best. He already showed during the first game in Paris that he has what it takes to compete with Los Blancos—now he has to do more than compete, he needs to excel.

"

When are we gonna play a good match without Verratti and Motta?? We're playing Rennes ffsss They bailed out Blanc AGAIN. I Don't trust him.

— #BlancOUT (@KleinKenn) October 30, 2015"

There is a huge feeling that this PSG side is slowly but surely becoming Verratti’s team. He is the fulcrum, he makes them tick, and now, he is their inspiration.

Blaise Matuidi, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti has been Blanc’s first-choice midfield for a few seasons, however, it is the younger of the three that now stands out from the crowd. He is the player that PSG need to build their project around, and he is the player that Real Madrid need to fear the most this Tuesday.