Marco Verratti has acknowledged his risk-taking could lead Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc to “kill” him.After arriving from Pescara in 2012 a virtual unknown outside of his native country, Verratti, 22, has developed into key player at PSG, as well as establishing himself in the Italy squad.
His midfield play has drawn plaudits from many quarters, but his habit for attempting to play his way out of trouble near his own goal has drawn criticism.
Blanc himself recently told media he felt Verratti had taken too many risks in PSG’s league encounter with Monaco, and that he would prefer if the Italian would “take them in the opponents’ penalty area rather than our own.”
“It’s true that he said that to me every time, and every time I did it again,” Verratti told So Foot. “After a while, he understood and said to me, ‘Do what you want, but if you make a mess of it, I’ll kill you.’ I know it’ll happen one day.
“Sooner or later, I’ll lose the ball and it’ll cost us a goal, and on that day, Blanc will kill me and he’ll be right to do it. I know the day I lose the ball in that area, everyone will come down hard on me, everyone will criticise me, everyone will kill me.”