Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti was ruled out from the team’s away Ligue 1 fixture against Lorient as a result of his positive coronavirus test.
In his place, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino elected to go with a double-pivot setup of Leandro Paredes and Danilo Pereira against Lorient. Paredes had formidable chemistry in previous fixtures playing alongside Verratti but struggled to find that same success with Pereira in this match.
Still, Pochettino is not using Verratti’s absence in the match to push the narrative that this was the sole reason for why his side was unable to pick up the win over this Lorient team.
Pochettino spoke (via RMC Sport) about Verratti and his unavailability in this match.
“Verratti is an important player for us,” Pochettino noted. “But we must know how to play without certain players, his absence cannot be an excuse.”
PSG will have to likely go several more fixtures without Verratti due to his current status in self-isolation. The Italian midfielder will be out against Nimes Olympique and may also be a scratch for the team’s league clash against Olympique de Marseille.
In the meantime, other players will have to step up in Verratti’s absence from in-game action.
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