FEATURE | Manuel Ugarte: PSG’s star man so far this season
Since the departures of Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi, PSG’s midfield has always looked a rather weak compared to what Europe’s top teams have to offer. Recruiting players such as Grzegorz Krychowiak and Lassana Diarra over the years and, more recently, Fabián Ruiz has yet to help the French team close the gap separating it from the big European teams. To perform decently in European competition, there’s no secret recipe: Having a highly functional midfield that can cope with the demands of very high-intensity matches – something that PSG never had.
For many years, Marco Verratti was PSG’s all-purpose midfielder. He was in charge of creating chances, defusing the opposition’s pressure during the Parisian possession phases, and he also had to scrape the ball away from the opposition. An accumulation of tasks that were far too large for what is known in Italy as a mezzala di possesso.
But with his age advancing and Luis Enrique’s reported desire not to continue with the Pescara native, Paris will have no choice but to begin a new cycle in midfield with players who meet the criteria of today’s very high level: being able to play with great intensity while maintaining significant technical quality.
Moving on from the “superstar” project with the departures of Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, and Sergio Ramos, PSG have aimed to rejuvenate its squad while recruiting players who will make them a more coherent team on the pitch. Despite an eventual extension of Kylian Mbappé, the signing of Ousmane Dembélé and Lucas Hernandez, the unexpected signing currently changing the face of the champions is Manuel Ugarte.
PSG paid Lisbon’s Sporting CP €60m (the price of his release clause) to secure the services of the Uruguayan midfielder.
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