Let’s say it right away, we no longer understand much of Thomas Tuchel’s choices. Or rather the consistency of his choices. It all obviously started with the 3-4-3 coming out of the hat in Dortmund, after two months spent lining up 4-4-2. In fact, the 3-4-3 was not that far-fetched given the course of the game and the defensive line deserved reinforcement on this game. But the placing on the bench of Icardi and Cavani, the non-selection of Paredes in the group and only one change made late had added to doubts about the decisions of the German coach. The first leg at least generated certainty: Marco Verratti and Thomas Meunier will not be there in the second leg. This does not necessarily simplify the thinking of the Parisian coach, on the contrary, evidenced by his latest statements and team compositions.
Let’s start with the Leandro Paredes case. He was not in the group for the round of 16 first leg. However, from the end of November to January, the Argentinian milieu had grown in strength, revealing a physical level never seen at home since his arrival. But in February, Tuchel suddenly no longer really called him, until the match in Amiens, where he was established but released in the 60th minute. The spat that day with Tuchel probably cost him his presence in Dortmund. But the absence of Marco Verratti for the return has changed the situation. At least we thought so. Since he had been the best midfielder for PSG in the past three months, with Tanguy Kouassi, we could imagine him as Verratti’s natural replacement. But he is not aligned against Bordeaux, nor against Dijon (he comes into play for the last quarter of an hour). And here it is again Wednesday night against Olympique Lyonnais.
Paredes, a blow yes, a blow no
At a press conference, Thomas Tuchel explained his choice, namely to put Marquinhos in central defense and to leave room for Paredes in the middle. “This is the decision for today because we were missing Thiago and Kimpembe. We decided that for the Marquinhos experiment to give a few minutes also Leo (Paredes). He must play to be ready also against Dortmund. He deserved to play. We trust Leo too. It was necessary that we give minutes and rhythm to Leo because he is almost the same player personality (compared to Verratti, editor’s note). ” So Paredes is back in the game and in the race for a starting spot against Dortmund next Wednesday. And this despite a mixed performance against OL, where his slowness was obvious, as was his lack of complementarity with Idrissa Gueye.
What about Marquinhos? Less imperial in central defense in recent times, the Brazilian player is destined for a midfielder position by Thomas Tuchel, who never misses an opportunity to say how great the influence of Marquinhos in the midfield. It was in the middle that he started against Bordeaux and Dijon at the Parc des Princes. But it was in defense that he played against OL. The cause ? The absence of Thiago Silva. If the usual PSG captain were absent for the return match, Marquinhos would be privileged in defense to bring his experience, alongside Kimpembe. If Thiago Silva were there, Marquinhos would go up a notch in the middle, pushing Paredes onto the bench. There is also the case of Kouassi, often tenured in recent weeks (sometimes in the middle, in defense against Amiens and Dijon) but deemed a bit too soft for a round of 16 return under high pressure.
Marquinhos and Kehrer in adjustment variables
The other surprise of Thomas Tuchel’s squad against OL was the presence of Thilo Kehrer in central defense. While it is intended to evolve right side against Dortmund with the suspension of Meunier. There too, Tuchel explained himself. “Without Kimpembe and Silva, we decided to put Kehrer and Marquinhos together because it is a decisive match and they have experience. We let Meunier start on the right, he can’t play against Dortmund and we also had that in mind. We thought about putting Kehrer in this position but it is a very intensive position, he can play it but there are not big differences between the two positions. “ All that remains is the trip to Strasbourg to give Kehrer a few more benchmarks at the position of right back, where he defends better than Meunier but shows less offensive skills.
There remains the question of the overall organization. Tuchel seems determined to install 4-4-2 for the return match against Dortmund. He wanted to take advantage of the match in Lyon, a knockout match, to feel his players under pressure. He saw a precarious balance in the game plan, with four offensives often cut off from the rest of the team, a midfield dominated by that of OL and a lack of binding between the lines. This remains assumed as long as the others in front, and mainly Neymar and Mbappé, are able to bring danger regularly into the opposing area. The big question being: will this be enough to overcome the Dortmund obstacle?
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