Why Angel Di Maria Is the PSG Player Manchester City Must Shut Down

Although he struggled to make his mark on the first leg in Paris on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria is still the player Manchester City must shut down if they want to qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

At this stage of his pre-game preparations, Manuel Pellegrini will still not know exactly where Di Maria will play on Tuesday night.

Suspensions to Blaise Matuidi and David Luiz, plus the ongoing injury concerns over Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore, per BT Sport, give PSG manager Laurent Blanc a few decisions to make, especially when it comes to the midfield.

Thiago Motta and Adrien Rabiot will be part of the midfield three, but it's the player Blanc picks beside them whose identity remains a mystery.

One option would be to play former Spurs midfielder Benjamin Stambouli, giving the away side a solid defensive foundation, but the Parisians have to score, and that would heap a lot of pressure on Rabiot to step out and create opportunities.

The alternative, and the one that Blanc is likely to favour, is to play Di Maria in the midfield three with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Lucas Moura ahead of him.

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He is already used to the role, having played there for Real Madrid, and it is in the 28-year-old's nature to drift around the pitch and try and find pockets of space.

It would give Fernando and Fernandinho something else to think about. It would ask more questions of City's full-backs and help the three forwards find more space.

Di Maria has enjoyed an excellent season, with nine goals and 11 assists in the league, according to Ligue 1's official site. He has been about much more than goals, though. Pushing the attack forward, his precision on the counter-attack has been devastating, something that could become important on Tuesday night.

Although Manchester City don't have to score to qualify, they will be willed forward by a packed crowd at the Etihad Stadium and won't be allowed to take things easy. The advantage lies with the home side, and they are slight favourites to advance. But the game could open up for Blanc and his wounded but dangerous team.

Getting Di Maria on the ball as early as possible will be key to PSG's success. Let him run at the defenders, and he will either expose them and create chances for himself or he will commit players, opening space for the attacking trio ahead of him to exploit.

Despite a poor season overall—don't judge him purely on goals scored (17 across the league, Champions League and Coupe de France)—Cavani has a great relationship with Di Maria. He may not be the devastating striker who left Napoli in 2013, but when he is in the mood, his movement can still be excellent, and the Argentinian is capable of delivering killer balls to exactly where Cavani wants them—it's then up to the Uruguayan to find the finish.

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Before the first leg, club captain, Thiago Silva, per James Cambridge in the Express, spoke about the role Di Maria has played since joining in the summer:

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We've taken huge steps forward this season, we hold the ball better and have improved both technically and tactically. Much of this is thanks to Di Maria's transfer.

He is strong in one-on-one situations, provokes the opposition and destabilises them. He's also a goal threat.

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There will also be further motivation for the Argentinian player, returning to Manchester for the first time since leaving Manchester United last summer. He may not be playing against the Old Trafford outfit or former boss Louis van Gaal, but he will be motivated to show Premier League clubs the full potential of his ability.

"Every time I was given the opportunity, I did the best I could, but it didn't work out," Di Maria told Football Focus (h/t the Telegraph). "I decided to leave, not only to be happy, but to win things."

He also revealed he believed he was regularly played out of position by the Dutch coach.

"I started a game in a position, and then the next one I would be in another," he said. "I scored goals playing in one position, and then suddenly the next game I was picked to play in a different position."

For Blanc this season, Di Maria has played mostly on the right of PSG’s three-man attack, with Ibrahimovic inside him and either Cavani or Lucas Moura on the left. He struck up a great relationship with full-back Serge Aurier, the Ivorian using the space created by the Argentinian to bomb down the wing and get involved in the attack.

Despite his unhappiness of being played out of position by Van Gaal, it is unlikely he will mind playing in the midfield for Blanc, especially with the trust that has been built up between player and coach.

“From the beginning he was clear where he wanted to play me and has never changed his mind,” Di Maria told the BBC (h/t AFP, via the National). “He gave me total freedom to move where I needed to move. I’m very happy here and it wasn’t the case over there."

Although handed a change in position, it won’t have too much effect on where and how the 28-year-old plays his game. He will likely be able to drift into the pockets of space between the midfield and defence. With worries over the fitness of Nicolas Otamendi, per the Manchester Evening News, there could be more uncertainty surrounding the City back line, which will be perfect for the Argentinian to exploit.

No one in the PSG team was happy with the way they played in the first game, and speaking the club’s official website, Di Maria said he knows they have to get back to doing what they do best: "We need to play the way we know how: control the ball, attack and take the chances that come our way. That’s how we’ve won our matches up until this point. It’s our style. Our opponents use up a lot of energy chasing the ball and then we hit them where it hurts."

Only a 2-2 result on Tuesday would see the game go to extra time, and Di Maria explained knowing what you have to do to advance helps focus the mind: "It is easier knowing that we have to win to go through. We don’t have any other choice, even if we are up against a quality opponent. But I think by doing things the way we know how, we can win this match."

Mistakes were the cause for all four goals in Paris on Wednesday. Both teams will want to eradicate those errors and look to force their own will. Di Maria will be desperate to influence the game in a positive manner after he failed to make an impact in Paris, and if Pellegrini and City want to advance, the former United man is the player they need to stop.