Spanish influence has PSG flying high this season

PSG has been relentless at the start of the season and much of the blame for this lies with Spanish players. The market made by Luis Campos, the club’s new sports adviser, ended up bringing together up to six players from the Iberian Peninsula in the squad: Sergio Ramos, Fabián Ruiz, Carlos Soler, Juan Bernat, Pablo Sarabia and Sergio Rico. In recent games, the participation of most of them in PSG’s victories has been fundamental, to the point that some have already established themselves as starters.

The first, Sergio Ramos, has gone from being ostracized to becoming one of the leaders of the locker room. The camero has already forgotten the continuous injuries in the soleus that prevented him from performing last season and has settled in Galtier's schemes, playing practically every game and forming, together with Marquinhos, an impregnable duo on the rear axis.

Although it is very difficult for Ramos to go to the World Cup, since Luis Enrique did not call him up in the last break despite playing at a high level, the Andalusian defender could be the missing piece for PSG to fight for the Champions League . His experience and leadership have given a qualitative leap to a team accustomed to major setbacks in the top continental competition. His coach, Christophe Galtier, has consistently reiterated in public that Ramos is one of the heavyweights in the locker room.

Another player who has gained prominence at PSG is Fabián Ruiz. After a somewhat cold start to the season, the result of the short preseason he had, since he hardly played with Napoli, the midfielder has completely knocked down the door of starting the job. Galtier's change of system, Going from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-3-1-2 with more prominence from the midfielders, he has enhanced his quality in midfield. Fabián is an all-rounder. He organizes in the base, overcomes lines in driving, arrives in the second row to shoot and, in addition, his pressure after loss allows his team to steal near the rival goal. Although he did not enter Luis Enrique's last list, the former Betis player continues to dream of a call for the World Cup.

Bernat is another player who has earned Galtier's trust. Nuno Mendes' injury a month ago opened the doors for him to start the job, to such an extent that the loss of the Portuguese has hardly been noticed. Although he does not have the same offensive potential, the consistency of the Spaniard has been obvious. A year ago he returned to the pitch after almost ten months of inactivity and the fact that he did not enter PSG's list to play in the Champions League (in this edition he has played a lot) did not affect him at all. His performance has been constant, he has made up for Mendes' loss with authority and Galtier has confirmed that he has a fully guaranteed footballer for the rotation.

Of the rest of the Spaniards, ignoring Sergio Rico, who is the third goalkeeper, we must also highlight Carlos Soler and Sarabia. The Valencian started Friday in Ajaccio and probably played his best minutes since he landed in Paris. This versatility to act both in midfield and in offensive positions is an endorsement for Galtier, who considers him a high-quality player, although he still has to adapt to the always physical French football. Regarding the Real Madrid youth squad, considered the player number 12 when one of the three cracks above fail, the regularity he treasures and the sacrifice he has without the ball are enough to consider him a great alternative in games in which Messi, Mbappé or Neymar do not are at 100%.