As the return leg against Borussia Dortmund looms, Paris Saint-Germain has a decision to make on where they want to play Marquinhos.
With the injury to Thiago Silva, the capital club could use Marquinhos to command the backline. On the other hand, with Marco Verratti suspended, they can also use Marquinhos in the midfield to bring stability to a shaky midfield.
The decision will ultimately be up to PSG’s manager Thomas Tuchel, who, when asked by Le Parisien, made it clear that it’s in the midfield where Marquinhos makes everyone better.
“I prefer Marquinhos to the midfield; he has more influence on the field,” Tuchel said. “We let Marqui play in the middle because if we want to have the opportunity to do it against Dortmund, it’s better than he’s playing a few games there now.”
It’s not only the German manager who believes that having the 25-year-old in the midfield is the best option for PSG. There are players within the locker room who feel that Marquinhos playing in the midfield gives them a better chance to win—sighting Idrissa Gueye’s performance last Saturday against Dijion FCO as an effect that the Brazilian has on his fellow midfielders.
Furthermore, as Tuchel leans more towards playing Marquinhos in the midfield, it seems as though he will go young at center-back. In the same article, the German manager claims he might go with Presnel Kimpembe and to the surprise of some, 17-year-old Tanguy Kouassi.
The reason behind this potential decision is that Kouassi is right-footed and Kimpembe is left-footed. Tuchel doesn’t want to have two left-footed central defenders which he’d have if he starts Abdou Diallo.
Playing Marquinhos in the midfield and having a teenager at center-back in a do or die match is a risky gamble, but we will see if it pays off for Tuchel next week.
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