why Fabian Ruiz could well establish himself in Christophe Galtier’s eleven

Paris may have found its fall hit. Recruited at the end of the summer transfer window by Paris-Saint-Germain, one year from the end of his contract with Napoli, Fabian Ruiz is gaining momentum. The Spanish midfielder has started in PSG’s last six Ligue 1 games, and should feature for the first time in Christophe Galtier’s starting lineup in the Champions League on Tuesday, October 25, for the reception of Maccabi Haifa at the Princes Park. Franceinfo: sport takes you to discover the surprise guest of the capital club.

A technical and creative profile

Tall (1.89 m) and slender, Fabian Ruiz has an explosive profile compared to his friends in the Parisian midfield, such as Marco Verratti (1.65 m) or Vitinha (1.72 m), which are formats of pocket more agile than physical. “He touches more balls than everyone and is in the middle of all the movements and constructions. That’s his role: he plays, he has endurance, technique, physique”explained Neapolitan coach Luciano Spalletti before a match against Torino last season.

With eleven balls recovered in Ajaccio on Friday (0-3), the 26-year-old Spaniard proved that he was as good a defender as a regulator, even if he has not yet had the opportunity to show himself in the area. of truth. Last year in Serie A, Fabian Ruiz scored seven goals, including six from outside the penalty area (division record), and provided four assists. Offensive characteristics that could offer more options to the Parisian attack, hung on the exploits of his Messi-Mbappé-Neymar trio.

A great high-level experience

At 26, Fabian Ruiz already has great experience at the top level. Trained at Betis, the Sevillian arrived in Naples in the summer of 2018 and gradually won his starting position under the orders of Carlo Ancelotti, Gennaro Gattuso then Luciano Spalletti. If in the south of the Boot, he finished vice-champion of Italy in 2019 and won an Italian Cup in 2020, he also stood out in the Spanish selection.

Designated best player of Euro Espoirs in the summer of 2019, Fabian Ruiz, then 23 years old, shone in the semi-final against Blueberries, swept 4-1 by Rojita. He then opened the scoring in the first minutes of the victorious final against Germany (2-1). Enough to secure a place with the A, with whom he already has 15 caps, before the World Cup in Qatar (November 20-December 18).

The big winner of Christophe Galtier’s new system

Initially placed behind Marco Verratti, Vitinha and Renato Sanches in the hierarchy of Parisian midfielders, Fabian Ruiz was able to seize his chance. After taking advantage of everyone’s poor form to play in the 3-4-3 used by Christophe Galtier at the start of the season, the Spaniard is now the big winner of his coach’s new system. “I can adapt to both systems [que ce soit à deux ou trois milieux axiaux]assures the person concerned at a press conference on Tuesday, even if he has become accustomed to “to play in a 4-3-3 in recent years”.

Back to four behind during the Classic against Olympique de Marseille (1-0), PSG now has three places in the midfield, one of which seems to devolve to the former Neapolitan. “I have quality midfielders at my disposaldeciphered PSG coach Christophe Galtier. With two midfielders, of course, there were many on the sidelines. I had to wait for Fabian, like others, to gain momentum, to start [à les intégrer]. Obviously, Fabian is currently playing in his usual position and his preferential zone. You need very specific players for this kind of organization, Fabian is one of them.

Compared to Pastore, in much more robust” by Jérôme Alonzo in the columns of L’Equipe, Fabian Ruiz has the opportunity, on Tuesday, to seduce the public of the Parc des Princes, who are still looking for the heir to El Flaco in the Parisian midfield.


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