Paris Saint-Germain will be in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France after their success in the 8th round against Stade Brestois (3-1), on the lawn of the Parc des Princes. This meeting was notably marked by a new start for winter recruit Lucas Beraldo. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, this evening was not the most famous, like the entire Parisian defense – apart from Danilo Pereira. The former São Paulo player lost 15 balls and above all committed a total of three fouls. Aligned on the left flank of the defense in Luis Enrique’s 4-3-3, his copy once again left something to be desired, while the 20-year-old Brazilian lost ten of his fourteen duels played during the match against the Bretons . The integration of the native of Piracicaba still remains complicated but as the weeks pass, Beraldo’s role will grow, with PSG not having recruited another central defender during the winter transfer window. The capital club remains in contention in three major competitions: Ligue 1, Champions League and Coupe de France. He will have to quickly gain momentum so as not to spoil his Parisian adventure because everything is moving very quickly in football in 2024.
But Lucas Beraldo continues to believe in his dream and is determined to do his best: “I always dreamed of being here. As Europe has always been a goal, I watched, I followed the Champions League. Especially the Paris matches, because Marquinhos inspired me. I like the way he plays, his leadership. He was always captain wherever he went. Before, it was really just a dream, and now it has become a reality. I train with the best players in the world. Here we have an incredible training center with impressive facilities”had also declared the young Brazilian defender, in his first major interview given to our colleagues from The voice of the North. But apart from a few wild outbursts, during his big debut against Toulouse, at the Parc des Princes for the Champions Trophy, the 20-year-old Brazilian seems to be in difficulty. But is it really necessary to fiercely criticize him and question the transaction carried out by Luis Campos during this winter transfer window?
A complicated context!
Arriving with great fanfare from the São Paulo club, against a budget of 15 million euros, Lucas Beraldo discovered Europe and its football very different from that of South America. Trained at São Paulo FC after short stints in the União Barbarense and XV de Piracicaba clubs, PSG number 35 is coming off a full season with his former club. An element not to be forgotten. Indeed, when his signing for Paris Saint-Germain was announced on January 1, 2024, Beraldo had just concluded an entire campaign, during which he played more than 50 matches, in all competitions, in the Tricolor Paulista jersey. during the calendar year 2023. His last appearance was on December 7, 2023, during a national championship match against Flamengo, less than a month before his departure for France. These parameters must therefore be taken into account to better analyze and put into perspective the debut of Lucas Beraldo in the Parisian jersey. Adapting to a new team and a new city in an unknown country and continent is not an easy thing, but demanding very high performances after an entire season played with another club is an almost impossible mission for such an inexperienced player.
Another point not to forget which greatly complicates the development of Lucas Beraldo with Paris, his unforeseen status within the PSG hierarchy. Due to Milan Skriniar’s serious injury and the new operation undergone by Presnel Kimpembe, the Brazilian was forced, from his first week in Paris, to take on the role of capital defensive option. His recruitment was also planned, well before the Slovak’s physical problem. Behind captain Marquinhos and soldier Danilo Pereira, Lucas Beraldo is almost a third central defender in the Parisian rotation – in the event that Lucas Hernandez, who can be switched back to the axis, remains considered a left back. If the former São Paulo player continues to adopt the right attitude to progress, this XXL role that the Parisian staff was forced, by force of circumstances, to entrust to him does not help the 20-year-old player to fully integrate and develop. Time is always an essential asset for young players, even more so for expatriates from South America: “I think I will improve a lot by working every day with my new teammates, because they are the best. Every day, with them, I look for what I can improve”declared the main person concerned.
And finally, the use of Luis Enrique is far from easy to assimilate. Of Lucas Beraldo’s six appearances with PSG, four were as central defender but during the two matches against Stade Brestois (in Ligue 1 then in the Coupe de France), the former SP player was established in the position left side. A positioning that he had never experienced in his Brazilian club. The defensive rock must also learn to grow by assimilating several devices: three-way defense, four-way defense in all variations of Luis Enrique’s 4-3-3. But despite all his difficult parameters, Lucas Beraldo does not give up: “As he speaks Spanish, I understand when he gives advice, it helps me. I am ready to help wherever he puts me, in the center or left side. I am ready to do anything to adapt”, had also specified the Brazilian defender in his interview. The time has therefore come to put Beraldo’s mixed beginnings into perspective. Time will prove the fervent defenders or the fierce detractors right…
