Rise of Pacho: Why PSG's rock at the back is so key

Mark van Bommel recalls going to visit Willian Pacho at his apartment in Belgium when he was his coach at Antwerp. The former Barcelona midfielder still remembers his horror at the discovery that he made when he was offered a drink by the player.

“He was with another guy from Ecuador, Anthony Valencia,” Van Bommel tells Sky Sports. “One day, Anthony had not been training well and I wanted to have a better connection with him than I did so I said to the team manager, give me their address.”

He explains: “I drove all the way to their apartment, rang the door and they did not open it. So I went back to my car and took a selfie outside their door, and then the curtains began to move. I was waving at them, so they said, ‘Oh, coach, sorry, come in, come in.’

“I talked with them for two-and-a-half hours more or less, and then they asked me, if I wanted a drink. ‘Yes, of course.’ So they opened the fridge and there was only cola, only sugar. I said, ‘Boys, how is that possible? Please, next time, only water when I come.'”

The Ecuadorian was a long way from home back then but he has come a long way since too. Pacho helped Antwerp win the Belgian title for the first time in 66 years, going on to move to Eintracht Frankfurt for one season before joining Paris Saint-Germain.

At PSG, he has been the rock upon which their run to the Champions League final has been built. The pace and panache of those around Pacho has been the story of their season, but in a team short of physicality, he is the one player who has it in abundance.

It was needed in the quarter-final against Aston Villa as pressure built on his team during a challenging second leg at Villa Park. “In every corner, they were swinging balls into the box and that is not our area, we are a small team,” said Luis Enrique afterwards.

“It was not a match made for us. We do not like to defend like that.” Crucially, Pacho can – and did. He won more tackles than any of his team-mates. “We ran a lot more than usual in defence,” added Luis Enrique. And Pacho is well capable of doing that, too.

Marquinhos, PSG’s captain, has the experience but Pacho is the perfect foil, his legs at the back, the one capable of contesting every aerial duel. That was certainly noticeable during the semi-final too as Thomas Partey hurled long throws towards the penalty box.

In Antwerp, it was a similar story with the veteran Toby Alderweireld alongside him. “He was next to Toby, so he was developing a lot,” says Van Bommel. “We pushed our left back a little bit higher, so he was defending in a really big space, covering all that side.”

Pacho did “a really good job” so perhaps it is no coincidence that Luis Enrique has entrusted him with much the same tactical responsibility in Paris. His strength and speed allows him to control those big spaces vacated by the marauding Nuno Mendes.

“He is very physical, always fit. One time, he played in Australia for the national team. He came back and I put him on the pitch and after 60 to 70 minutes, I asked him, ‘How are you?’ He replied, ‘No problem, coach.’ That is really amazing for a young player.”

That robustness is best illustrated by the fact that Pacho has played the most minutes of anyone in this season’s Championship, helping him to rank among the top five players for touches, passes, clearances and aerial duels won. PSG’s rock, indeed.

Van Bommel saw all this coming. “He played the same game at Antwerp as well, only at a lower level. But then he adapted to the next level and the next level again. He is always capable.” Hence his frustration when Antwerp agreed to sell him to Eintracht Frankfurt.

“I told the club, for €16m, that is really cheap. But the club needed the money, so Frankfurt took him at the right moment.” Under their famously shrewd sporting director Markus Krosche, the Bundesliga side were able to flip Pacho for a big profit themselves.

Van Bommel could not be happier for the player. “He is a really nice guy and I love to see how well he is playing. Off the pitch, he is a little bit shy. On the pitch, he is amazing. Everybody is talking about him now but I knew him before and he is developing well.”

Could he develop more? There was a moment late in the 34th minute of PSG’s second-leg win over Arsenal in the semi-final, when Pacho looked long to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and surrendered possession cheaply. Luis Enrique’s frustration was palpable.

“I worked a lot with him on his passing. That is the only area where he can improve a lot. He is stable and he is playing every game but I think he can become even better. If he gets his passing even more precise, I think he will be one of the best in Europe.”

Van Bommel has stayed in touch, exchanging messages after games, and still reminds him to take more care with his passing. Pacho has even introduced him to emojis – he had to ask his wife what a few mean. “The heart emoji,” he laughs. “What is that about?”

It all stemmed from that house visit. “It was a really nice conversation. From then on, I had contact with him at Frankfurt and now he is sending messages after the game, ‘Did you see it, coach?'” But there is one picture that Pacho sent that told him everything.

It was an image of Pacho’s fridge. “Only water.” That is the thing about this centre-back, still only 23 years of age. He learns. “I think he can develop even more,” concludes Van Bommel. “He will become even better.” The Champions League final awaits.

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