Kimpembe-Marquinhos, PSG’s best kept secret

PSG have a ‘secret’ trick, two strongholds that escape the radar of their rivals. Pochettino has in Mbappé his most decisive player. There isn’t much discussion about that.. The French striker, who unbalanced the first leg, gathers a consensus that the numbers support: he has 24 goals and 14 assists, a contribution that doubles that of the next ‘contributor’, Messi, who has 7 goals and 10 assists. But Neither the Argentinian nor Neymar has as much influence on the game of the Parisians as their pair of central defenders: Marquinhos and Kimpembe.

The two defenders are, after Mbappé, the two footballers whose actions have the most impact on PSG’s game, according to the artificial intelligence (AI) developed by Olocip. The AI ​​bases its evaluation on the quality of the actions and not only on the number of times a player intervenes in the game. What it takes into account is the value of the actions measured based on the variation in the probability of scoring or conceding a goal when those actions are carried out.

With that premise, Mbappé is PSG’s MVP, with an index of +12.30. He is not supported by any of his two teammates in the attacking trident, but by the central duo. Marquinhos has generated a value of +8.70 with his shares. Kimpembe’s contribution is +6.99.

The Brazilian international, who is celebrating his ninth season at PSG at the age of 27, is one of the most outstanding defenders in both Ligue 1 and the main European leagues. In the French league he is the second central defender with the highest accumulated value and the fifth overall. He highlights the impact he has with his passes and his contribution to the development of the game, with an index of +3.91 in this facet, the eighth of the French championship. In defense, he stands out in aerial duels and in intercepting rival passes. He averages a value of 0.15 per game, which indicates that the sum of his actions help to avoid a goal every seven games.

Kimpembe, The 26-year-old also excels at making the game, with an index of +3.63, 13th in Ligue 1. The World champion has made more passes than his partner in the axis of defense (1,554 to 1,493), but those of Marquinhos influence the game more (+2.44 to +2.65). In more tangible numbers, the player from São Paulo also wins, having scored three goals this season, while Kimpembe has two.