Two weeks ago, Paris Saint-Germain fell to Olympique de Marseille for the first time since 2011, but this installment of Le Classique had more for the physical conflicts between players than goals.
One confrontation brought two Argentina international players face to face in Leandro Paredes and Darío Benedetto. As a result of this altercation, both players received suspensions from the Ligue de Football Professionnel Disciplinary Commission.
In the case of Paredes, the 26-year-old received a three games suspension. The Argentina international is known for his hot-blooded way of toughening up the play on the pitch and protecting his teammates, notably Neymar Jr.
PSG shut down any rumors of a potential departure for the Boca Juniors youth product. The reigning Ligue 1 champions need someone like him to protect their star players, especially when the referees or league itself fails to protect them.
When talking to Le Parisien, former PSG manager Luis Fernández touched on how valuable a player Paredes is to the capital club squad. However, he does mention that the midfielder needs to know when to apply his temperament and not hurt the team by receiving a red card as he did in the match against Marseille.
“I like players who have a temperament. But you have to know how to do it intelligently when you put aggression, commitment, it should not go overboard. We cannot do that systematically in a field. Then Paredes is Argentine. And the Argentines, I have trained and I have crossed! By definition they have that grint in them ”, Luis Fernández said.
“Paredes, you should already know one thing is that he had to overcome a situation where he was not the choice of a coach. And today, he also wants to show that on a field that he is not only a good technician but that he can also go into the engagement. Maybe he doesn’t know how to do it well enough yet. He needs to come to terms with himself, calm down a bit, settle down a bit, but I think it’s going to do it. Because it’s important to have someone of your own temperament, who doesn’t balk. Especially when you play with Neymar or Mbappé. They must know that behind them they have boys who bring that intensity.”
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