Ranking PSG's Top 5 Players for March 2016
With Paris Saint-Germain now into April, the busiest month on their calendar, the French champions can look back on March with some satisfaction.
Laurent Blanc’s men won only three of their five fixtures during that three-week period prior to the recent international break, but they triumphed in the important ones.
Les Parisiens’ three victories produced a Coupe de France semi-final berth, a place in a fourth consecutive UEFA Champions League quarter-final and confirmation of a fourth straight Ligue 1 title in record time.
A 0-0 draw and a 2-0 defeat at home to Montpellier HSC and AS Monaco, respectively, were rendered obsolete by the wins away at AS Saint-Etienne, Chelsea and Troyes AC.
Here is a ranking of PSG’s top five players for the month of March.
5. Marquinhos
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Because of Serge Aurier’s ill-timed decision to insult PSG coach Blanc, as reported by ESPN FC, Marquinhos took on a more important role in Le President’s March plans than he perhaps would have if the Ivory Coast international had not talked his way out of the starting XI.
With little confidence in Gregory van der Wiel and a group to rotate to ensure that key players were in optimum condition for the trip to London to face Chelsea in the Champions League, Marquinhos found himself starting four of the March fixtures.
The Brazil international made the most of his opportunities, scoring his first goal of the season in the 3-1 win at Saint-Etienne, helping to keep clean sheets against Montpellier and Troyes, as well as playing an important role as Aurier’s replacement at right-back for the win at Chelsea.
Although Marquinhos was part of a back line that struggled against Monaco, the 21-year-old performed with great maturity in March and has a case for starting regularly in his preferred position of central defence.
4. Angel Di Maria
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Although it was not his best month this season, Angel Di Maria still enjoyed a productive March and came through when his team needed him most.
The Argentina international played a key role in the 2-1 win away at Chelsea, being the architect for Adrien Rabiot’s first-half opener before providing the cross that Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored from to make it 2-1 in the second half.
Di Maria laid on another goal for the Swede in the 9-0 decimation of Troyes, bringing his total March contribution to two direct assists and another constructed goal from four appearances.
El Fideo was acquired by PSG to produce the goods in the biggest games, notably the Champions League, and that is exactly what he did.
The 28-year-old was missing from the 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne because of injury, though, so he was unable to influence that Coupe de France quarter-final fixture.
3. Adrien Rabiot
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March was a good month for Adrien Rabiot. Like Marquinhos, the France under-21 international played a part in all five matches thanks to the absence of a key member of the starting XI and stepped up to the plate.
Rabiot chipped in with two goals in those five appearances, including one vital strike at Chelsea to open the scoring in a 2-1 win. The other was PSG’s third in their 9-0 rout of Troyes that secured the capital club’s sixth Ligue 1 title.
In Les Parisiens’ two biggest fixtures of the month, Rabiot delivered the goods and did not look out of place in the starting XI.
With Marco Verratti still struggling to recuperate from his pubalgia issue, it looks as if the Frenchman will continue to deputise into this month, starting with the Champions League quarter-final first leg against former side Manchester City.
2. Edinson Cavani
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With three goals and one assist from five appearances across all competitions, Edinson Cavani was one of PSG’s most influential figures in March.
The Uruguay international scored the opener in the 3-1 win at Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de France before netting two as the men from the capital ran riot in the 9-0 demolition of Troyes to clinch a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 crown.
On top of his three goals, Cavani also provided a rare assist for Ibrahimovic’s first in the Troyes rout to complete a productive month at club level.
El Matador also continued that form into the international break with La Celeste, scoring twice in as many games in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Although his performances were not always the most convincing in March, Cavani looked better than he has in previous months and got the goals he needed to start scoring after dropping to the bench.
Three goals and an assist from four starts is not bad, and the South American will feel he perhaps merited more time on the pitch at Stamford Bridge after scoring the goal that gave PSG a slender 2-1 advantage from the first leg.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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As has often been the case in recent months, no PSG player was as influential in March as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The super Swede weighed in with five goals and three assists from five appearances, although he scored all of his goals in just two of those matches.
Ibrahimovic picked his performances, though. He scored the winning goal in Les Parisiens’ 2-1 success at Chelsea in the Champions League and grabbed four in the thrashing of Troyes.
Although his goals against OGC Nice last weekend have since added to his impressive statistics, the 34-year-old’s strikes and assists against Troyes took his season figures up to 27 goals and 11 assists.
Ibrahimovic also passed the 100-goal barrier in Ligue 1, jumping up to 102 from 98 in a clinical second-half display at Stade de l’Aube.
The PSG No. 10 added assists against Saint-Etienne, Chelsea and Troyes, making his March contribution far greater than that of any other team-mate.
Although the talismanic striker could not replicate his prolific exploits against Monaco, he stood up and delivered when it mattered most and has looked no less insatiable since the start of April.
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