On Tuesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain crashed out of the Champions League, the expensively assembled French squad once again failing against one of the competition’s traditional superpowers. While there is certainly no shame in losing to current holders Real Madrid, a constant trend of early exits is – given the vast sums of money invested by the club’s Qatari investors – an alarming pattern that has to be causing major concern for their owners.
There were unquestionably mitigating circumstances, mostly notably that €222 million signing Neymar absent after surgery, while their 3-1 first leg defeat meant that advancing beyond the Spanish giants was always going to be a difficult proposition. However, considering that PSG dominate their domestic rivals and have won four Ligue 1 titles in the last six years, the fact they have yet to even reach a semi-final in Europe’s elite competition remains disappointing.
It hints not only at the idea they are yet to truly establish themselves as a genuine force on the continent but also at a distinct lack of progress after a second consecutive loss in the Round of 16. Obviously, that spending has seen their overall quality lifted, but it is arguable that even the longer-serving members of the squad have plateaued and failed to show progress in their own development.
Nobody embodies that feeling of treading water more than Marco Verratti. The midfielder arrived at PSG in the summer of 2012, viewed as one of his Italy’s most promising talents after helping minnows Pescara win the Serie B title. Young and clearly blessed with excellent vision and a joyful ability to pass the ball, he was also raw, prone to both rash challenges and arguing with match officials and didn't score enough goals given his quality.
Chase the ref 😡
Get a second yellow 😫
Head loss for Marco Verratti just minutes before PSG get one back...
Almost six years later, Verratti is now 25, has never managed to find the back of the net more than times in a single campaign for Les Rouge-et-Bleu and was sent off against Real Madrid after earning a second yellow card for dissent. That means a player who has weighed in with a total of just eight goals and 32 assists in Ligue 1 and the Champions League over the last six seasons has simultaneously collected six red cards and a staggering 60 bookings.
With Luka Modric and Toni Kroos not starting the second leg, Tuesday’s clash at the Parc des Princes was exactly the kind of high profile game he should be dominating. Yet rather than running the show, Verratti was once again culpable for a loss that could and should have deep ramifications for his club.
Manager Unai Emery is almost certain to be replaced in the summer and that is probably fair after he failed to improve the team during his tenure, but players like Verratti should shoulder at least some of that responsibility. The same is true in the international arena, where a succession of coaches have overlooked the 5ft 5” (1.65m) playmaker who has just 24 caps to his name, yet the man himself is to blame for the fact that very few of those appearances have been memorable ones.
Indeed, he has scored just one goal for the Azzurri, and was part of the side that disappointingly failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup despite boasting some truly quality players. That is not to lay blame for the national team’s failings at his feet or absolve the utterly poor management of Gian Piero Ventura, but instead to underline that neither team who Verratti represents are reaching anything close to their full potential. Like the 25-year-old at the heart of their midfields, both sides have stalled and are in drastic need of change.
Perhaps an overhaul of each might in turn push the Pescara native to new heights, because his current level is way below where most expected him to be by this stage of his career. Back in 2012, as the €12 million deal with Pescara was finalised, the fact none of Serie A’s biggest sides stepped in was widely lamented.
"He is young, he is the future of Italy and the future of PSG," club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi told reporters at a press conference to announce his arrival but six, years later, we’re still waiting for Marco Verratti to make good on his promise.
