The Manchester City manager does not hide his admiration for the PSG midfielder: “He was exceptional, even when he was under pressure he managed to find the space to free his teammate: a master in the construction of the game”. In the Champions League big match he was one of the best and won the duel in the middle of the field with Kevin de Bruyne. This year Verratti celebrates the tenth season with the French shirt.
Despite the disappointment for the defeat against the PSG was still fresh, the coach of the Manchester City he presented himself at the press conference and congratulated his opponents. In particular, he had words of praise towards Marco Verratti: “I’m in love with him, he’s great. In the first half he was exceptional, even when he was under pressure he managed to find the space to free his teammate. We have been a little sweet with him“.
Evidently Guardiola referred to the marking of De Bruyne on the Italian midfielder. Accustomed as few to manage the ball in the nerve center of the pitch, Verratti has often managed to evade the pressure of the opponent and set the actions of PSG. A talent recognized by the Catalan coach himself: “It’s amazing when he plays in the strait. And in building the game he is a master. I know his personality and he has not proven wrong, I am happy that he has recovered from that injury. In the second half we managed to somehow contain him but even if you see him so small, when he plays he moves and makes the team turn.“.
Finally the night of Leo Messi (and Donnarumma): PSG beat Manchester City 2-0
The contract di Verratti with the French expires in 2024 and this is his tenth season at PSG. Long courted by Carlo Ancelotti, he arrived in the summer of 2012 directly from Serie B. He had just obtained promotion to Serie A with Pescara and was one of the most appropriate market choices made by the Parisian club. Who knows that Guardiola’s certificate of esteem may not sound like a not too hidden invitation to try a new experience in Premier League.
Guardiola then congratulated all of Pochettino’s team and took the defeat while remaining happy with the performance of his team: “I want to congratulate PSG on the victory. We had a really good game and showed character. It was a fantastic match. We should have scored and we didn’t, that’s why we lost. Controlling Messi for 90 minutes is impossible, he cannot stop“.
