Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has recently been preparing for his team’s upcoming key fixture against Stade de Reims. PSG is aiming to make it three wins in a row as it seeks to once again reach the top of the Ligue 1 table. In the meantime, Marquinhos provided a lengthy interview with Le Parisien in which he touched on a variety of topics regarding PSG.
For one, Marquinhos talked about his ongoing first season as PSG captain. With Thiago Silva no longer at PSG, the club had a vacancy for the team captain role. There was no debate with this matter, as PSG manager Thomas Tuchel picked Marquinhos for the role.
“I want to give maximum energy to my teammates,” Marquinhos said. “To be present, to help, to always think about the team before myself or a particular player. Being captain is a lot of responsibility.”
There has been much debate as of late over whether Marquinhos is better off playing as a midfielder or a defender for PSG. Marquinhos is open to both, but he touched on just how he has been able to find success playing as a defensive midfielder.
“By playing in midfield, I changed my game a lot,” Marquinhos said. “You have to anticipate a lot before the ball comes in. It goes so fast, you have such intense and strong pressure that if you don’t plan ahead, you’re always late.
“When I’m in midfield, I also think about my defensive cues, to fill in the gaps, to cover the full-back, the defense.”
Marquinhos also hopes that both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe will stay on at PSG.
“In this case, I play selfish, I will always ask them to stay,” Marquinhos said. “I’ve extended my time, so I want my teammates to stay too. But I can’t get into that debate too much, everyone has their own goals and their own life. But, if someone asks me, of course, I want Neymar and Kylian to stay too.
“Today, when they put on the jersey, I’m convinced that they’re giving it all on the field for PSG. But I hope they will always stay with us because they are two great world-class players.”
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