Film Focus: PSG's Midfield Trio Set to Win the Battle of the Bridge
PARC DES PRINCES, PARIS—Paris Saint-Germain took a giant leap and put one foot into the semi-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 first-leg victory over Chelsea last Wednesday night, as the Parisian side extended their unbeaten run to 14 games.
At 2-1 the fixture would have been very evenly balanced, perhaps even giving Chelsea a slight advantage, but Javier Pastore’s injury-time solo goal means that Chelsea have to win by two clear goals to stand any chance of advancing to the last four of the competition.
In all of their away fixtures this season, only once have PSG failed to score. This would mean that Chelsea are most likely going to have to score at least three on Tuesday night.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho started the first-leg tie with no natural central striker, opting for German forward Andre Schurrle to lead the line and rely on Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian to provide support from midfield. The plan backfired, and Chelsea were unable to put any significant pressure on the PSG back line, managing just two shots on target.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc knew that former Lille star Eden Hazard would be the main attacking threat going into the quarter-final, and many believed picking second-choice right-back Christophe Jallet in defence would give Hazard a huge opportunity to dominate down Chelsea's left wing.
However, Blanc’s tactics were proved right on the night, as protection from Edinson Cavani gave Jallet just enough cover to keep the Belgian under wraps for the majority of the game.
PSG double-team Chelsea winger
It was clear to see from the start of the match that Cavani had been instructed to pull back whenever Chelsea had the ball in order to provide Jallet some extra protection.
It is not normal to see the Uruguayan forward play so deep, as it’s generally not needed during any of PSG's league games. However, this was a special assignment, one that Cavani played to perfection. His desire and work rate were exemplary. He may be unhappy playing a wider role but didn’t let this get in the way of his performance.
Cavani’s performance against Chelsea leaves Blanc with a huge dilemma on Tuesday night. Injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic will move the Uruguayan to the centre of the three-man attack, and with Gregory van der Wiel still short of match fitness, Jallet will again start at right-back. Blanc's choice will be between Brazilian Lucas Moura and the Argentine Pastore for the wide-right berth.
Neither will put in as much effort as Cavani, giving Chelsea a slight advantage on the left flank. Pastore will offer more in a positional sense, but his slight frame and lackadaisical style will put the defence under increased pressure. Moura provides pace and a faster outlet on the wings, but his tactical indiscipline has been brought under question at times, so it’s risky for Blanc to trust him in such a huge match.
Midfield domination puts the Parisians in charge
Blanc sent his side out on Wednesday with fire in their bellies, and PSG’s fast-paced start was too much for Chelsea to handle. Within the first minute the home side had pinned the Blues back and increased the pressure by forcing Chelsea to knock the ball out of play twice.
Chelsea tried to start with a high pressing line but didn’t have enough bodies forward to make it work. PSG always had a spare man, usually Marco Verratti, and the Italian had time to move the ball and find the next pass.
It was PSG’s fast, high-pressing start to the game that created the opportunity for the opening goal. Both Ibrahimovic and Blaise Matuidi closed in on make-shift midfielder David Luiz, forced the turnover and pushed forward into attack. Matuidi continued his run, and it was his cross that John Terry failed to clear, allowing Ezequiel Lavezzi to fire past Cech into the top corner.
Not content with taking the lead, you can see that straight after the kick-off PSG were back on the offensive, pushing the Chelsea defence back, pressing as high up the pitch as possible. The Chelsea players had no choice but to give the ball back to Cech once again, and the keeper could only relinquish possession back to the home side.
However, as has been too regular an occurrence for PSG in the league this season, they took their foot off the gas after the first 15 minutes. Jose Mourinho also gave David Luiz the green light to push further up the pitch, putting Chelsea back level in terms in numbers in the centre of the field.
Luiz had started the match much deeper than Ramires and Oscar, which gave PSG a three-on-two advantage in the most crucial area of the pitch. Bringing the sides level, it helped Chelsea capitalise when PSG dropped the intensity.
With PSG not pressing as high, Chelsea had much more time to pick the right pass and more options available for the players in possession. Once they got their foot on the ball they were able to cause the home defence more problems, which lead to the Chelsea penalty in which Hazard levelled the score.
The problem Mourinho faces for the second leg is how to turn around the midfield battle in his favour. With Nemanja Matic cup-tied and Brazilian workhorse Ramires suspended, there are not a lot of options for Mourinho.
Frank Lampard is the most likely player to step into Ramires’ boots, but it is unlikely that the England international will add that same dynamism and energy level that either of the former Benfica players would offer.
If Chelsea fail to control the midfield at Stamford Bridge it will likely lead to Paris Saint-Germain securing qualification to the semi-final of the Champions League. The away side don’t need to win Tuesday night’s match, but only just to make sure that they don’t concede their the two-goal lead.
Only once this season have they lost by more than a single goal, and PSG would have to go some way to replicate that performance against Evian.
The key for Chelsea will have to be down the left flank once again. This time they need their Belgian wizard Hazard to be on top form. For both Chelsea and Lille, the 23-year-old has never quite delivered on Europe's biggest stage. Now is the time for young Eden to rise to the next level, or else it will be Blanc’s side in the draw for the last four.
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