PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN have spent the last few years scouring the world for a player capable of taking over from Thiago Motta, who retired in 2018, in the number six position.
Inveterate risk-taker Marco Verratti has long been felt unsuitable for the role, Adrien Rabiot made his reluctance to play there plain and a succession of new signings – Grzegorz Krychowiak, Lassana Diarra, Leandro Paredes – proved themselves unfit for purpose.
When Gueye arrived from Everton in July, having come close to moving to Parc des Princes in January, he was heralded as the player who would finally plug the gap at the base of midfield in Thomas Tuchel’s preferred 4-3-3 formation. But he has generally played in a more advanced role as one of the two lateral midfielders either side of the number six. And Paris have become a greatly more cohesive side as a result.
Idrissa Gueye vs Real Madrid:
Minutes played: 90
Touches: 90
Passes completed: 69/74 (93.2%)
Key passes: 3
Assists: 1
Dribbles (completed): 3 (3)
Tackles won: 4
Duels (won): 16 (9)His first Champions League appearance for almost 7 years and he looked right at home. pic.twitter.com/lAeKWDXY0w
— The Scouted Hub (@TheScoutedHub) September 19, 2019
The French champions have won all seven of the games Gueye has started, without conceding a goal. When he has not played, they have won two and lost two.
Tuchel started off by deploying Gueye alongside Verratti in a midfield two, but for Les Parisiens' Champions League opener at home to Real Madrid he shifted him to the right of a midfield three. It was then that everything clicked into place.
With Marquinhos, a converted centre-back, behind him in the holding role, Gueye played an ultra-aggressive pressing game that helped to establish the foundations for a superb 3-0 win. It was only his seventh appearance in the competition proper – and first since December 2012 – but he played like an old stager, utterly dominating Toni Kroos, setting up the second goal for Ángel Di María, completing 92 percent of his passes and filling in capably for Marquinhos after the Brazilian went off with 20 minutes remaining.
L’Équipe labelled the Senegal international’s performance a “masterpiece”. A beaming Tuchel called him a “machine”.
“We really fought to buy this player,” said the German. “He never stops running, he wins lots of balls and, against a team like Real, that’s super important.”
Gueye, who turned 30 at the end of September, has since continued to play in a midfield three, generally on the right – as a counterpoint to Verratti – but occasionally on the left, as in last month’s 1-0 victory at Lyon. His recent displays have been in keeping with the performance he produced against Madrid. He is the most highly ranked Paris Saint-Germain player in L’Équipe’s individual player ratings and shone again in the Champions League this week, helping to tee up Mauro Icardi for the only goal of a 1-0 win away to Galatasaray.
Idrissa Gueye was on fire for PSG tonight
Completed more dribbles than Bale
Created more chances than Hazard
Made more tackles than Varane pic.twitter.com/SFzmJZ8Ylw— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) September 18, 2019
“Idrissa? We really needed him,” said Verratti. “He works a lot for the team. He really makes himself available. He’s going to help us a lot.”
A graduate of the renowned Diambars academy near Dakar in his native Senegal, Gueye has had to wait for his moment in the limelight. He made his breakthrough during Lille’s triumphant 2010-11 season, making 18 appearances in all competitions as Rudi Garcia’s side romped to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double, and his performances over the four seasons that followed earned him a reputation as one of the French top flight’s most dynamic destructive midfielders.
Marcelo Bielsa wanted to bring him to Marseille in 2015, but instead he moved to Aston Villa, where he would experience relegation from the Premier League in his first season, only to bounce back at Everton. If his remarkable statistics for tackles and interceptions during his four years in England suggested that he possessed all of the tools required to play at the very highest level, his early Champions League outings with Paris have only served to confirm that impression.
With Marquinhos excelling in the holding role, Gueye flying up and down the inside-right channel and Verratti leading opposition midfielders a merry dance, Paris Saint-Germain's midfield has not looked so strong since 2017, when Blaise Matuidi’s departure for Juventus broke up the beautifully balanced trio that he had previously formed with Motta and Verratti. The only thing the current midfield lacks is a goal threat, but with the galaxy of attacking talent ahead of them, that’s unlikely to give Tuchel too many sleepless nights.
Motta thinks Gueye is a perfect fit, telling Canal+: “He’s not my successor. He’s more of a ball-winner, but he passes the ball well, he positions himself well on the pitch and he’s very intelligent. He has everything to be a success at Paris Saint-Germain.”
The difficulty now facing Tuchel is how to squeeze Di María, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and either Edinson Cavani or Icardi into his starting XI without disturbing the harmony of that new-look midfield. But however he fills out his team sheet, Gueye looks certain to be one of the first names on it.
