Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has found a new role under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Italian midfielder has played his first two games under Pochettino away from his usual positioning as a base midfielder to higher up the pitch in a central attacking midfielder role. This has brought in mixed results for PSG, but many can attest that there is promise for this relatively new setup.
Former Ligue 1 manager Eric Roy believes that Verratti can be an influential player for the club in the new Pochettino era. With his play style and on-ball prowess, Roy is signaling out Verratti as one player who can take the side to the next level from an attacking standpoint.
Roy analyzed Verratti in speaking to Le Parisien.
“He started out as number 10,” Roy notes. “But the higher you play, the more you’re under the watchful eye of your opponents and the more you need attacking reflexes and the ability to make a difference in the race, especially with players like Neymar or Mbappé. However, Verratti can bring his ability to make the right move with a successful orientation and control.”
PSG has the Trophee des Champions final up next against Olympique de Marseille. This will be a true test for Pochettino on whether he plans to continue to use Verratti in this tactical setup in pivotal games over the remainder of the season.
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