MY ACCOUNT
Marco Verratti was not surprised to see Leandro Paredes and Sergio Ramos square off in Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Juventus as “both players care so much”.
Paredes was back at the Parc des Princes for Tuesday’s Champions League group match, just six days after joining Juve from PSG on an initial loan basis.
The Argentina international was involved in a flashpoint during the first half of his new side’s 2-1 loss when he got involved in a row with former team-mate Ramos.
As Paredes walked towards Ramos, the latter appeared to push away the midfielder by the throat, which the referee deemed worthy of a yellow card.
And speaking after the match, Verratti joked it was an incident that was always likely to happen between two passionate players.
“I’m good friends with [Paredes]. The odds on that happening were pretty good as I’d seen them go at it in training,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“I’d have bet my house on that happening. Both players care so much and put a lot of character into every challenge, but they always have a hug at the end.”
Paredes managed 102 touches against his parent club – more than any other Juve player on their Champions League debut since Opta started recording such data in 2003-04.
Juve put up a strong second-half fight in Paris after Kylian Mbappe fired PSG into a commanding two-goal lead, though Weston McKennie’s effort proved to be a consolation.
The Parisians have now won five successive home games in the Champions League for the first time since between November 2013 and November 2014 (a run of six wins).
“We were up against a strong opponent in Juve and knew we’d suffer to get the three points,” Verratti said. “After a good first half we struggled a bit in the second.
“Juve relaxed a bit after their goal and started to believe. They are a great team but we worked together to bring home the result.”
Mbappe’s double took him on to 29 goals in the competition for PSG, one shy of Edinson Cavani’s club record.
Lionel Messi and Neymar also performed well in attack, and Verratti praised head coach Christophe Galtier for getting the trio working as one.
“The coach is very intelligent. This is quite a tough team to coach,” he said.
“But he made it clear to everyone that there is only one objective, which is to win, play together, enjoy our football and make it a team sport.
“To have a great season we need everyone, whether we have the ball or not, whether they are on the bench or on the field.
“Telling Messi what position to hold and where to pass is tricky, but he gave a sense of organisation and responsibility to everyone.
“There are moments, as we saw today, where we all need to defend together. You can be as talented as you like, but it is all easier if we all work together.”
