27th October 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Heading into Olympique de Marseille's monumental Le Classique clash with PSG at the Orange Velodrome last Sunday, Luiz Gustavo was always going to be a key figure as Marseille searched for their first win over their rivals in almost six years.

While the €7 million summer signing from Wolfsburg has had some disciplinary issues so far, which has seen him receive one red card and six yellow cards in all competitions, and suffered the odd poor game, his impact has been largely positive since his arrival. Adding experience, class and a strong determination, the 30-year-old's given the side some much needed leadership, fight and quality in the centre of the park.

This was certainly the case in Rudi Garcia's men's excellent showing vs. PSG in their enthralling 2-2 draw, a game they were minutes away from winning but for Edinson Cavani's late leveller, as Gustavo produced an all encompassing performance in central midfield.

Although his sensational first half strike was the highlight of his display, the way he dictated the tempo of his team's attacking moves, defended diligently, plus used his physicality and athleticism, were further positives to de drawn.

Stopping the wildly talented PSG attackers and midfielders, that featured the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Cavani, Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot, is never an easy task, but Gustavo played his part in doing everything he could to limit their impact.

Predominantly charged with marking Verratti on the defensive end, the 2013 Champions League winner with Bayern Munich performed his duties with tenacity, determination and grit. With the Italian regularly dropping deep into PSG's right half space to connect play, Gustavo would press him vigorously so he couldn't quickly turn and use his individual quality to pass and dribble upfield. Instead, this forced Verratti to play more cautiously, forcing him to regularly pass backwards or to even be overlooked as an option.

Once the ball was on PSG's opposite side, Gustavo would immediately shift into a central midfield position within Marseille's 4-4-2 defensive block and cover the middle, while keeping a keen eye on Verratti and the movements of Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe who performed subtle interchanges and all took turns occupying central areas.

Moreover, in situations when the away side broke on the counter, Gustavo did his utmost to rush back and support his backline, thus helping his side have the best chance of blanketing the dangerous Parisien frontline.

Meanwhile, offensively, his output was similarly strong, with his crafty and wide range of passing allowing him to instigate and animate so many of OM's build up passages. Whether hitting penetrative, line breaking through balls, combining intricately in close quarters with his teammates or launching precise long balls, his aptitude in this area was a constant force to be reckoned with.

His supporting movements over to Marseille's left notably saw them create a 4v3 numerical superiority to break through their opposition here. Furthermore, the way he'd drop back and form a three chain with his central defenders to assist their build up, and shuttle across and cover the space behind marauding fullback, Jordan Amavi, so protection was present in case of a turnover, was also crucial.

Courtesy of his multifaceted efforts, Gustavo justifiably earned himself a spot in L'Equipe's coveted Ligue 1 team of the week, and emphatically exhibited what an integral member of Garcia's side he has already become.

His manager rightfully made a point of praising the combative enforcer in his post match comments, proclaiming: "That's why we went looking for him, he's a great player in world football. We know it, and I know it forever. Nothing more. The best Brazilian player on the field? We can say that, but I did not look well at others. There were a lot of fantastic players on the pitch, and not only on the PSG side."

For Gustavo, who shoulders a huge amount of responsibility on both sides of the ball, this statement performance against one of European football's premier teams will give him the confidence that he can still play at an extremely high level and match it with the best.

With Marseille desperate to return to the Champions League and a dark horse to enjoy a strong run in the Europa League, you can guarantee Gustavo will be as vital as anyone towards Marseille's chances of success this season.

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