PSG finds itself with two major injuries after this international break: both defense and midfield are affected.
Luis Enrique has his work cut out for him. Following Warren Zaïre Emery’s injury, who will be sidelined until 2024 due to an ankle sprain with the French national team, PSG’s captain Marquinhos has now suffered a thigh injury while on duty with Brazil.
This comes at an inconvenient time as PSG’s coach was considering deploying Marquinhos in midfield to replace WZE. The 17-year-old midfielder will miss the next seven PSG matches, including fixtures against Monaco, Newcastle, Le Havre, Nantes, Dortmund, Lille, and Metz, with a potential return in January at the earliest.
Luis Enrique will now have to improvise, even though there are options available. The logical choice would be to field Fabian Ruiz in midfield, as he has been WZE’s natural replacement since the start of the season. The Spanish coach could also consider integrating Kang In Lee in a more offensive role. Another possibility is Carlos Soler, who has recently been playing as a right-back but could also drop deeper into the midfield.
Luis Enrique could also opt to deploy Danilo in midfield, but with Marquinhos’ injury, this becomes a bit problematic. In the defensive department, PSG lacks sufficient cover. Another alternative is Ndour, though it seems unlikely, given the limited playing time the young Portuguese player has seen since the beginning of the season.