Italy star Marco Verratti reveals why Carlo Ancelotti threatened to bench him at PSG and discusses his tactical evolution under Mauricio Pochettino.
The former Pescara star is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world and is one of the most experienced players in the PSG dressing room having moved to France in 2012 even before making his Serie A debut.
He has a long list of admirers, including Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola who said he is ‘in love’ with Verratti after a Champions League meeting between the Ligue 1 giants and PSG in September 2021.
In that game, Pochettino played Verratti as a deep-lying playmaner. How does it feel to play in that role?
“In this position, you are always under the first pressure,” Verratti told L’Equipe. “It’s important to know how to manage the ball to be able to get it out, to be in control of the game. The more you have the ball, the less danger you are exposed to and the more danger you can create for your opponent. After that, there are different teams and different ways of conceiving this position of 6.”
Who is his role model in that position? Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta? Sergio Busquets?
“These players are all very intelligent. Busquets is still one of the best in his position,” the 29-year-old admitted.
“Under pressure, he keeps calm and gives the team tranquillity. To have played next to someone like Thiago Motta was magnificent. They are players who are not in the statistics but they make all their teammates feel good on the pitch. They always know how to position themselves, are very intelligent. I’m not surprised that Thiago has become a coach. He was already a coach when he was on the pitch.
“I feel comfortable, that’s the way I see football. I never want to kick a ball just to clear it, not knowing where it’s going to go. If I draw two or three opponents to me, that means I’m also freeing up one or two teammates. I want to make the pass that will trigger an action. I like that. I know that sometimes it’s dangerous.
“Losing a ball in this area can expose my team to a goal. But you have to take responsibility. If we are here, it’s because we have talent, qualities that others don’t have. This has always been my way of playing and I will never change it. Even if we concede a goal after losing the ball.”
However, not every coach appreciate when Verratti takes risks. That is particularly true of Carlo Ancelotti who, back in 2012, threatened to send Verratti to the bench after a Champions League fixture against Porto.
He told me: ‘Marco, please, when you are caught, close your eyes and shoot the ball as far as possible.’ Then, later, he said to me: ‘OK, Marco, do what you want because I know it’s your game. Either I leave you on the bench or I take you as you are, because you will never change.’
“I take pleasure in my way of seeing football as a collective sport,” the Italy international continued.
“I don’t care who scores. We can win together and each one of us has to do his bit to achieve it. My contribution is to make the team play well, to give them peace of mind, to make efforts for my teammates and to recover balls.”
Marco Verratti : « Une bonne passe, c'est comme un bon dribble »
Pour « L'Équipe », le milieu parisien Marco Verratti décrypte son jeu, son évolution et son rapport au collectif, qu'il place au-dessus de tout https://t.co/Th9iGMuath pic.twitter.com/ozCikQnb4f— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) February 7, 2022