The transfer window turned out to be arguably the best in the history of the game that saw football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo move clubs.
At a time when most clubs were still feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the likes of Arsenal, the Manchester clubs, Chelsea and, most significantly of all Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain flexed their financial muscles. They were the undisputed winners of the summer transfer window, luring away not only Lionel Messi from Barcelona for nothing but also snapping up Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nuno Mendes.
Following a heavy outlay on new signings, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino will set up one of the best teams in the game’s history. He’ll now be under severe pressure and scrutiny to deliver the elusive Champions League trophy his owners have craved for very long.
With Lionel Messi joining the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at Parc des Prices, here’s how the strongest Paris Saint-Germain XI lining up in a 4-3-3 formation could look live when every player attains full fitness.
Strongest PSG Lineup (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Keylor Navas has started Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 season as Pochettino’s first-choice goalkeeper. He has played four league games so far, conceding five goals and keeping one clean sheet in the process. At some point, though, summer recruit Gianluigi Donnarumma is going to take over the no.1 reins at the club.
Donnarumma, 22, rated as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, helped Italy to the European Championship title in July. He’s already made over 250 appearances in club football at such a tender age and could make the goalkeeper position his own at PSG for the best part of the next decade.
Defence
The defence is possibly Pochettino’s most up-front selection to make. Summer signing from Inter Milan, Achraf Hakimi has hit the ground running at his new club with a goal and two assists in four Ligue 1 outings. The Moroccan international, an attacking full-back, should start at right-back in the PSG lineup.
Deadline day acquisition from Sporting Lisbon, Nuno Mendes is expected to walk straight into Pochettino’s XI at left-back, replacing Abdou Diallo. Juan Bernat has resumed team training after a serious knee injury he sustained back in September 2020 and is expected to take some time before getting back to full fitness.
At centre-back, Marquinhos is an undisputed starter in the PSG lineup and has been paired with either Thilo Kehrer or Presnel Kimpembe so far this season. Summer signing Sergio Ramos, one of the best defenders of this generation, has had a rough 2021 with injuries but he could make his debut for PSG this month. Once he returns to fitness, Ramos will be Marquinhos’ preferred partner in central defence.
Midfield
This is where it gets a bit tricky for Pochettino, who is blessed with a lot of options in the middle of the park. PSG have good cover in defensive midfield in Danilo and Idrissa Gueye but due to the latter’s mobility and energy, he could hold down the position in front of the backline.
A guaranteed fixture in this PSG lineup, no matter what, purely because of his crisp passing, smart movement and incredible work Marco Verratti has done for the club since he joined as a teenager from Italian side Pescara. Free transfer from Liverpool, Georginio Wijnaldum is renowned for his tireless work rate off the ball, pressing and ability to make well-timed box-to-box runs.
A midfield trio of Gueye, Wijnaldum and Verratti on paper looks well-balanced.
Attack
Pochettino has an array of options going forward, and the blockbuster signing of Lionel Messi has only made PSG’s attack ten feet taller. The Argentinean international, who made his PSG debut last weekend coming as a substitute against Reims, should slot into the right of their attack in the PSG lineup.
Neymar had a telepathic understanding with Messi during their time at Barcelona and that could be recreated once again. Kylian Mbappe’s possible transfer to Real Madrid failed to materialise because the Parisian club didn’t respond to the LaLiga club’s eye-watering final offer worth €200 million on the deadline day.
As the France international is in the final year of his contract at Parc des Princes and reluctant to sign an extension, a move to Real Madrid on a free transfer may happen next summer, but for now, Mbappe is a valued member of Pochettino’s side and should lead PSG’s attack in their strongest lineup this season.
Angel di Maria unfortunately sits out in the above formation but he is likely to get ample gametime over the course of a long season and we could well see Pochettino tweak his formation now and then to accommodate a couple of equally deserving players who will see bench time a little more than the others.
