Willian Pacho, 24, the Paris Saint-Germain center-back, is going through a period where his performance is under increased scrutiny after a very high-level first season. In L’Equipe, Alain Roche attributes this apparent decline primarily to a less solid PSG presence around him, where the defensive balance offers much less protection to the Ecuadorian defender.
Roche: “He may be less dominant, but he hasn’t lost his touch either.”
“People are very demanding of Pacho, and that’s normal given his last season. He may be less dominant, but he hasn’t lost his touch either. He can’t plug every gap either. You have to deal with less impactful midfielders, a Nuno Mendes who loses duels, and a Marquinhos who is struggling more. He’s very exposed. But he’s capable of stepping up in a match like the one against Chelsea.”
Alain Roche’s analysis has the merit of tempering some premature criticism. Pacho may seem less dominant, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly collapsed. The problem is broader: when the midfield filters less, when Nuno Mendes loses more duels, and when Marquinhos also goes through a rough patch, the center-back finds himself exposed more often, deeper in the pitch, and in more dangerous situations.
Naturally, the margin for error shrinks. This type of context changes how a player is perceived: what looked like mastery yesterday can now appear as struggle. The decline is therefore less about one individual than about a collective structure that leaves him plugging too many gaps. In this context, Pacho remains a rather harsh indicator of PSG’s current defensive level.
