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#3 Marco Verratti
PSG central midfielder Marco Verratti is one of the best in his position. With him on the pitch, the Parisians look more poised, they seem more in control.
Rennes midfielders needed to be at their best to keep Verratti’s creativity in check, and props must go to them to achieve the same.
However, that did not keep the Italian maestro from dictating the team’s tempo from the middle of the pitch.
The midfielder had 124 touches, provided 87 passes, including one key pass in the final third. He also shuffled play from one flank to another with his long balls, with five of his six deliveries reaching their destinations.
Verratti needs to be in top shape for PSG to have a shot at beating Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 on February 15.
His performance last night would have surely put a smile on Pochettino’s face.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi disappointingly failed to hit the back of the net against Rennes on Friday, but was integral to his side’s narrow win.
The Argentine started centrally, but was clearly given a free role. He moved all around the pitch, doing all he could to help PSG.
He carried the ball with grace and used his gifted dribbling skills to good use, completing the most dribbles (4) in the match.
Messi also occupied dangerous positions in the final third and tried to make things happen with his incisive passing. He provided four key passes into the box, which deserved a better end product.
In the 93rd minute, Messi popped up with the match-winning assist for Mbappe, his 14th goal involvement of the season in 20 games across competitions.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner received the ball from Mauro Icardi and had the vision to spot Mbappe’s run down the left of the box. The 23-year-old French forward took care of the rest.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
PSG star Kylian Mbappe was the obvious standout performer for the hosts on Friday night. He kept chipping away at Rennes’ defense until the very end and was handsomely rewarded for it.
His first curling effort, in the first half, was a treat for sore eyes, only narrowly missing the frame of the goal.
The Frenchman came again in the second half and even found himself one-on-one with the Rennes keeper, but couldn’t squeeze the ball in.
His effort finally paid off in stoppage time when he used his pace to burst into the Rennes box.
Having received an inch-perfect pass from Messi, he dispatched a low curler, which had enough power to pierce through Rennes goalkeeper Dogan Alemdar’s resistance.
That's exactly what Mbappe needed before Real Madrid’s trip to Paris next week.
