With Thilo Kehrer wanting to switch back to playing as a central defender, it allows for Colin Dagba to move up the right-back depth chart behind Alessandro Florenzi. The 22-year-old will see more playing time, whether it’s the next man up in case of injury or spelling Florenzi a night off.
In an interview with So Foot, to discuss a variety of topics with the French media outlet. One of the first questions that Dagba had to answer is over what Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel is asking from him when he’s out on the pitch.
It depends on the system in which we operate and obviously that of the opponent. There are times when the corridor is blocked, so that I move lower and that it is in the eccentric middle to make the difference. Against Metz, for example, there was a lot of space on the sides. When I get to the last line, I have to make a sharp appeal. Even if I am not served, it is this call that frees up spaces,” Dagba said.
“Offensively, when there are blocks grouped together as we have seen against Metz, you have to center as much as possible. While, when there are teams playing four behind, and their wingers or off-center midfielders block the lanes with the full-backs, we find ourselves facing a defense almost six. It is therefore necessarily more difficult to pass, hence sometimes the fact that we prefer to combine in midfield.”
Then So Foot asked Dagba about a player that has left a mark on his young career.
“I would say, Dani Alves and Gianluigi Buffon. You feel they have experience. They are comfortable in the locker room,” Dagba said. “They take up space in a way. These are the guys who marked the history of football, who won. Seeing them in your locker room is amazing.”
Despite Dani Alves being gone from the capital club for over two years, the France international mentions how Alves gave him a lot of advice to improve as a right back.
“Dani Alves gave me a lot of advice on the pitch, on my attacking and especially defensive positioning,” Dagba said. “Compared to my direct opponent. He insisted that I had to know where my teammates were at all times. You just had to watch him do it in training.”
There are plenty of other topics that So Foot get into with Dagba that you can read here.
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