(FILES) This file photo taken on November 6, 2019 shows Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino clapping at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) and Tottenham Hotspur at the Rajko Mitic stadium in Belgrade. - Paris Saint-Germain have fired their coach Thomas Tuchel with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino lined up as his replacement, according to various media reports on December 24, 2020. The French champions declined to make any comment when contacted by AFP to confirm the reports carried by L'Equipe newspaper and RMC and German tabloid Bild. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino was full of praise for Italian star, Marco Verratti following his sterling performance in PSG’s UEFA Champions League victory over FC Barcelona on Tuesday.
Verratti excelled in an unaccustomed role at the Camp Nou as PSG won 4-1.
The Italy international is usually a deeper-lying midfielder, but in the 4-2-3-1 formation this evening at Camp Nou, he was pushed up into the ‘trequartista’ role behind striker Mauro Icardi.
It proved a masterstroke, as Verratti provided an assist for one of the goals in a Kylian Mbappé hat-trick.
Pochettino aas suitably impressed with the exertions of the pint-sized midfielder and did not hold back when giving his assessment.
“He is truly a great player,” he said to RMC. “He is a player with a very good ability to read the game.
“He allows for us each time to have attacking possession and to bring the ball out into good situations, to better start off attacks.
“In attacking phases, he can double his efforts and provoke situations going forward. For me, he is a truly great player.”
Verratti was also praised by French media, who pointed out he was ‘everywhere’ during the Champions League Round of 16 fixture.
He also managed to avoid a yellow card, which would’ve ruled him out of the second leg on March 10.
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