Danilo Pereira had one of the best performances of his season during Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 fixture against Olympique Lyonnais.
The Portuguese international earned a start for PSG in its midfield setup. Coming into the match, Pereira still had not put together a signature performance with PSG. But this changed in the league showdown against Lyon as he scored a goal, completed 52 passes, logged three interceptions, notched three tackles won and recorded two aerial duels won.
Former PSG manager Luis Fernandez watched PSG’s showing against Lyon. There were plenty of players who stood out to him, including Pereira.
Fernandez detailed to Le Parisien on how Pereira was able to stand out in this match and how this showing could end up being a season-changing one for him.
“He is a boy with qualities but we moved him around a bit,” Fernandez said. “We positioned him at the back, in the middle, when he arrived. He is a Portuguese international. After that, maybe he didn’t manage to adapt, to find his marks quickly.
“It took him a while to feel good physically, as we saw against Lyon, and to be in a good mood. This is a good thing. It also highlights that when you introduce a little competition, it helps to be better, to want to make the effort.
“This game will certainly unlock him. He showed that he has the qualities to play in this team, that he has the motivation.”
Pereira has so far recorded 10 starts in league play this season, which includes playing time minutes as a center-back. Overall, this showing from the Portuguese midfielder may have just come at the right time considering that PSG will be taking part in multiple key fixtures over the rest of the season.
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