In Paris Saint-Germain’s recent home league fixture against Dijon, defender Marquinhos made a surprise return to the midfield. Marquinhos started the game as the team’s defensive midfielder while new signee Danilo Pereira made his first appearance for the club as a center-back. Considering that PSG was facing a lowly team battling relegation, the club had no problems picking up the win as both Marquinhos and Pereira provided for potent performances.
The consensus was that this was just a one-time experiment for Tuchel to play Pereira as a defender and bring back Marquinhos to the midfield. But to Tuchel, the latter could be an option that may be used in future fixtures. For one, Tuchel (via the club’s official website) has already stated his plans of starting Marquinhos in the midfield against Istanbul Basaksheir.
“Against Dijon, it was a decision for the team, not against someone,” Tuchel said. “I thought about it a lot because I really like what Marquinhos does for us in the middle. I feel like he’s more important to us when he’s in this role. On Wednesday, he will therefore play in the middle to help us win this match.”
Many presumed that Tuchel would not at all provide Marquinhos minutes in the midfield this season. With the departure of Thiago Silva and the acquisition of Pereira, PSG currently has the depth in the defense and midfield to keep Marquinhos in his natural position. But so far, Tuchel has other plans in mind with how he plans to approach the team’s midfield structure.
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