Why PSG's Creative Core in Midfield Needs a Boost
Paris Saint-Germain’s season is progressing nicely. After knocking Chelsea out of the UEFA Champions League to reach the quarter-finals on March 9, they emphatically confirmed their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title just a few days later with a 9-0 romp in Troyes.
With the capital club’s sixth French crown already wrapped up, Laurent Blanc and his players will be eagerly anticipating Friday’s draw for the last eight in Europe. Familiar foes Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City are all possible adversaries.
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On the face of it, things are going extremely well for PSG. And there is no reason for the French capital outfit to fear anyone—domestic or continental.
However, there are one or two issues that will have Les Parisiens’ supporters a little concerned ahead of their next Champions League encounter and important matches in both the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue over the next few months.
Star midfielder Marco Verratti has been struggling with an inflamed pubic symphysis for a few weeks, and PSG revealed on their official website on Monday the Italy international visited the Aspetar medical centre in Doha, Qatar, to have the problem looked at.
According to Ligue1's website, Verratti returned to Paris on Wednesday morning and is expected to require three to four weeks of rest before he can get back on the pitch.
The 23-year-old’s extended absence from the starting XI has coincided with some uninspiring midfield performances, and it is clear the former Pescara man is missed.
Not having Verratti available for potential clashes against the likes of Barca, Bayern, Real, Atleti and City would be a significant blow for Blanc, and it makes PSG easier to play against for whichever team they draw in the Champions League.
The Italian is not the only member of Les Parisiens’ squad to have suffered with multiple injuries this season. Javier Pastore has also struggled to stay fit and missed long periods of the campaign with a variety of issues.
When Verratti and the Argentina international are not fit or unavailable, PSG invariably struggle to create much in midfield, and there is often a missing link between the attacking unit and the rest of the team.
In the absence of Verratti and Pastore, the midfield will usually comprise three of Thiago Motta, Blaise Matuidi, Adrien Rabiot and Benjamin Stambouli. All four of those players focus largely on the defensive side of the game, making the middle three workmanlike and lacking in inspiration.
What the regular injuries to Gufetto and El Flaco have taught PSG so far this season is they desperately need more creativity in central midfield.
Although it is unlikely the Italian and the South American will both concurrently be out for as long as they have been this campaign, it a chance a club with the ambitions of the French champions cannot afford to take.
On top of the fact Motta, Matuidi, Rabiot and Stambouli are not the most creative of players, the veteran Italian has also declined in power over the past few months to the point he is now a clear liability when Verratti is not on the pitch.
The 33-year-old rarely contributes the sort of superb pass he provided Angel Di Maria in the buildup to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s second goal in the 2-1 win away at Chelsea. Because he is unable to do that regularly without Verratti or Pastore, Blanc needs a more creative figure in that role.
Moving Di Maria back into the midfield is an option open to Le President, one he has experimented with already this term. However, the simple fact of the matter is El Fideo is more effective in the front three and out wide.
PSG need a player such as Olympique de Marseille’s Lassana Diarra, and considering the France international could be available this summer, the men from the capital would do well to make a move for their bitter rivals’ most influential outfield player.
However, recent rumours have linked the Ligue 1 champions with moves for two alternative midfielders.
Reports from Lancenet in Brazil (h/t Sky Sports’ Paulo Freitas) have said Les Parisiens are convinced Santos creative midfielder Lucas Lima will be plying his trade at Parc des Princes next season.
A bit closer to home for PSG, France Football said Juventus’ Paul Pogba has met with the club’s leaders with a view to making a summer move.
However, La Vecchia Signora’s sporting director, Giuseppe Marotta, denied knowledge of a meeting between the France international and the Paris-based giants when quizzed on the topic by Sport Mediaset (h/t ESPN FC’s Mark Rodden) after Wednesday’s 4-2 loss at Bayern Munich.
Although Pogba would not necessarily solve PSG’s creativity issues in the absence of Verratti or Pastore, he would certainly change the chemistry in the midfield. A combination of the Frenchman with compatriot Matuidi, the Italian or the Argentinian is a mouth-watering thought.
On the other hand, Lima is exactly what Les Parisiens need and would give Blanc a much-needed third creator.
When fully fit and available, Verratti, Pastore, Matuidi, Motta, Rabiot and Stambouli should be adequate depth in midfield.
However, only two of those six players have the requisite level of invention for this side, and Blanc arguably needs to swap one defensive-minded figure for a more attacking one.
Once again, Diarra would be perfect. Not only is he a France international, he also hails from Paris and—most crucially—likes to occupy Motta’s deep-lying midfield role.
If PSG could persuade him to incur the wrath of the Marseille fans by making the switch from Stade Velodrome to Parc des Princes, then he would be the perfect player to play alongside the likes of Verratti, Matuidi, Pastore and Rabiot.
Signing such a player would also enable the French champions to cut their losses with Stambouli and start shifting Motta out of the starting XI.
Whether PSG end up going for Diarra, Lima or Pogba, though, the bottom line is the capital club need greater creativity in midfield next season to avoid being caught short again.
With an additional inventive player, Blanc would not have had to witness some of the awkward and incoherent displays he has seen from his side at times this term when Verratti and Pastore have both been unavailable.
If that minor issue is taken care of this summer, then PSG stand a major chance of adding European success to their impressive domestic dominance—if they fail to do that in the Champions League this term.
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