The grimace displayed by Marquinhos after the victory in Reims (3-0) Wednesday evening did not bode well. The diagnosis fell on Thursday: it will be three weeks of absence for the Brazilian, in turn middle or defender of PSG. The vice-captain of the capital's club suffers from an injury to the right femoral biceps. A hamstring injury that fell at the worst of times and forced "Marqui" to a time trial race less than a month from the Champions League round of 16 th first leg against Dortmund, scheduled for February 18.
Beyond the individual case, this absence is anything but good news for Thomas Tuchel, who considers Marquinhos as an essential player of his eleven-type, whether he is tenured in midfield or in central defense. Scorer Wednesday night in the semifinal of the League Cup, the former of AS Rome has not missed any of the big games of the current season, even playing 520 of the 540 minutes played by the club in the Champions League .
What physical state will he return to?
Since early December, Tuchel has found a balance with a formation arranged in 4-4-2 in order to highlight its offensive quartet (Neymar, Icardi, Mbappé, Di Maria). A scheme which implies a limited presence in the midfield with only two players. In view of the Champions League, the Verratti-Marquinhos pair is favorite to occupy this sector of the game.
But in what physical state will the Brazilian be on February 18? If we trust the prognosis of the club, it will not replay before February 15 and a short trip to Amiens in Ligue 1. Three days from the most anticipated match of the year, it may be a bit short . Several solutions are then presented to Tuchel. The most natural would concern a Gueye-Verratti pair. The Senegalese was recruited for these meetings and to supply any environment in the event of injury.
The other, less obvious solution is that of a change of system. Without Marquinhos, a defensive guarantee in the midfield, the German coach could be tempted to align three players in the midfield, like Gueye, Verratti and Paredes or Herrera, even Kouassi with satisfactory performance in recent weeks.
We are still at the time of speculation. But be sure: Tuchel, who announced Wednesday evening that Marquinhos' injury was probably "not serious", is already considering all these options.