After Ajaccio-Paris, a closer look at Fabian Ruiz's performances

Christophe Galtier set the tone in the last press conference he was held after Paris Saint-Germain's 3-0 victory over Ajaccio: "The advantage of the victories against Marseille and Ajaccio is that we have additional ideas, other possibilities." A response to a question about the three-man midfield set up for the two games, a choice motivated both by the absences that plagued the Parisian squad in recent days, and the coach's conviction that it was also necessary to have a "hybrid" team capable of moving in different formations.

The common denominator in these two matches? A certain Fabian Ruiz, who started on the right side of a midfield trio on both occasions. Against Marseille, the Spaniard played alongside the Verratti-Vitinha duo. Against Ajaccio, it was on the right of the Italian and Renato Sanches that he formed the midfield trio. Each time, his performances showed his influence on the game, his remarkable reading of the game and his technical mastery. The left-footed curling effort, for example, would have deserved a better ending. It also showed a certain audacity.

A performance that Christophe Galtier was inevitably impressed by, as he confirmed in a press conference afterwards: "I'm not surprised. We've known him for many seasons. I remember seeing him with Luis Campos during a Paris-Naples match. He caught my eye."

a closer look at the stats

The visual impression is also reflected in the statistics. After a solid first Classique, marked by impressive statistics (86 balls, 94% successful passes, a key pass, two shots, 7 duels won, 5 tackles and the match record with 10 balls recovered), Ruiz repeated the same performance against the Corsicans on Saturday.

In his 83 minutes of play (he was replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery at the end of the match), the Spaniard shone with his technical accuracy and stats strangely similar to his previous match: 94% successful passes again, but also a key pass, two shots, 9 duels won, 4 tackles and the match record with 11 balls recovered. The real difference? 118 touches, a sign of his growing activity on the pitch.

"He has a very good technical ability and an excellent reading of the game. He works for his teammates, but when he has the ball, he has the right pass. In the games he has just played, it seems to me that he has the right tempo on the management of dominant and vulnerable moments," confirmed Christophe Galtier.

He was no stranger to the incredible performances of Leo Messi, who was frequently sent into space, and he made no fewer than 21 passes to the Argentine, his record in the match. But he was also and above all the favourite target for Marco Verratti (25 passes), Nordi Mukiele (16), Achraf Hakimi (16), Leo Messi (9) and Carlos Soler (6), the marker of a really important player.

Passes, transitions, switches of play: the No.8 has shown us the whole array of a complete player. With and without the ball, Fabian Ruiz is omnipresent and is both a guarantee for the first defensive line and a real springboard for his attacking partners, actively participating in the Parisians' build-up play.

"It is also with this in mind that I have been able to change my organisation in order to have more pressure and technical control in midfield. It also benefits the strikers who find themselves in the danger zone more quickly. Will we continue in this direction? It's possible," concluded Christophe Galtier.

We'll have to keep an eye on it!