Thomas Tuchel may have taken care to reread Alexandre Dumas in recent hours.
To feed his passion for literature, first of all.
To remember, too, that it was four people that the three Musketeers wrote their legend and, at the same time, forged convictions about the starting XI that he will put down on paper this Sunday in Reims ( 21 hours).
For the first time this season, the last also before a few weeks, the German coach has the choice of the king: that of being able to attack the game with a four-quarter of aces, Di Maria - Mbappé - Icardi - Neymar, in his game.
A habit one might think in view of the enthusiasm aroused by this quartet of tenors.
A godsend rather as the opportunities to see them play together were almost as rare as the white blackbird.
Since Thomas Tuchel occasionally converted to 4-4-2 one night of a stunning second half in Montpellier (from 0-1 to 3-1) last December, these four only started ... seven meetings all together.
In fact, the wind of madness just blew the time of the Christmas lights.
But from the card passed in Saint-Etienne (0-4), on December 15, to the success achieved in Lille (0-2), on January 26, the experience, embellished with five wins and a draw, was rather conclusive.
In the meetings that saw the quartet start, 24 goals were scored.
22 while the magic square was on the field, only two as soon as one of them joined the bench.
The last attempt on July 24, in the Coupe de France final in front of Saint-Etienne (1-0), was not so rich in achievements.
But before Kylian Mbappé left the lawn with an ankle under his arm at the half hour, Neymar had taken care to score the winning goal and offer his 13th Coupe de France to PSG.
Di Maria must go on, Icardi needs confidence
Saturday, however, Thomas Tuchel did not yet seem certain to take advantage of this incredible hand to play his all-out entry in Reims.
"I have not yet decided if we will play in 4-4-2 or if we change the pattern," said the German, recalling that beyond the absences of Kehrer and Kurzawa and the doubts around participation de Gueye, his stars were not supermen.
"It may be Kylian, Mauro or Ney, we can not forget that they had the coronavirus," he added before lifting the veil, a few minutes later, on his star duo.
With Neymar and Mbappé, “everything becomes easier, agreed the German.
It's harder for the opponent to defend, easier for us to attack, it opens up spaces… They'll start together, that's for sure.
"
Can it be otherwise for Di Maria, Tuchel's darling?
After receiving four suspension games for his spitting in the direction of Marseillais Alvaro, the match in Reims is indeed his only opportunity to stay in the game before the Champions League on October 20 or 21.
Silent for five games, Icardi must find his way back as quickly as possible so as not to see his certainties fly away further.
"He is going through a difficult phase," Tuchel admits.
The last percentages of confidence that he lacks, it is not in the speeches or the exercises that he will find them, but in the fact of scoring again.
“And it's obviously easier to have him surrounded by the trident Neymar - Di Maria - Mbappé than with the sidelines.
