PSG vs. Barcelona: Tactical Review of Champions League Game
Barcelona are in pole position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 at the Parc des Princes in the quarters. Luis Suarez netted twice after Neymar had given the visitors the lead, while Gregory van der Wiel's deflected effort provided consolation late on for the home side.
Formations and XIs
Both sides played flat 4-3-3s, with one designated holder, a front three and a back four.
PSG, sans Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to suspension and several others due to injury, started with Edinson Cavani up front, Javier Pastore on the left, Yohan Cabaye holding, Adrien Rabiot in midfield and Marquinhos at centre-back.
Barcelona opted for Martin Montoya at right-back in the absence of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano in defence and the vaunted front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar up front.
1. Dominant Barcelona
Both sides settled into an extremely early rhythm, with Barcelona dominating possession of the ball and PSG retreating into a low block in their own half. The final possession figures—the away side mustered 63 percent, per WhoScored.com—tell the story of the flow of the first half.
Laurent Blanc's men made it exceptionally easy for Barca to switch the ball and start probing different areas, and it wasn't long before Jordi Alba had made two bombing runs forward from left-back to overload the channel. At times all 11 of PSG's men were within 40 yards of their own goal, not pressing to recover the ball, but waiting patiently to pick off mistakes.
The issue was, when they did seize control of it, the counter-attacks they so clearly craved were being messed up. PSG over-complicated things and stepped on their own toes, with only Blaise Matuidi, pushing forward from LCM with pace, able to effectively carry the ball forward without mistakes.
Lavezzi's hesitance often killed the impetus, Pastore's iffy close control saw him lose the ball between his own legs several times and Adrien Rabiot played several hospital passes back to the opposing midfield. Worst of all was Cavani, who fumbled and flailed in the centre-forward position, botching every touch and ruining every attack going.
One particular counter saw Matuidi surge clear on the left and square it into acres of space for Cavani, but he tripped over his own feet ahead of his first touch and allowed Barca to steal in and clear.
It was PSG who made the first mistake in possession, too, when Sergio Busquets dispossessed Rabiot on the right and, eight fluid touches later, Neymar had slotted home from a deft Messi through-ball.
2. Upping the Ante
More could have been done in the first half to stem the flow of Barcelona's possession game, and PSG were too cautious in their approach in the first 45 minutes even after going 1-0 down.
Thiago Silva (and later David Luiz) led a deep defensive line to remove the space in behind for Neymar and Co. to penetrate, but it opened up space for the midfield to knock it about. Here, Cavani could easily have latched onto the deepest ball-player (Busquets) and removed him as an outlet—he's a hardworking player!—but often chose to float as an immediate outlet for counter-attacks.
PSG started superbly in the second half, looking much snappier and engaging with Barcelona much higher. Blanc, clearly having got into them at half-time about pressuring them higher up the pitch, watched his side craft more convincing chances and sustain more pressure for longer periods.
In this instance, off the ball, Matuidi played high up near the No. 10 space, and his energy became key in assisting Cavani engage the centre-backs. Barca found it harder to feed it through to Busquets due to the pressing, and PSG steadily gained territory and ground.
3. The Retort(s)
Luis Enrique then made a change, bringing on stalwart Xavi for Andres Iniesta, who left on a stretcher. It made a big difference; Xavi controlled the midfield with an air of superiority, dropping deep to pick up the ball and initiating quick passing exchanges to flummox PSG's pressing.
Blanc, spurred by urgency and the need for a goal, flinched; he brought on the speedy Lucas Moura for the disappointing Rabiot. PSG changed from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, with Cabaye and Matuidi holding, Pastore as a No. 10 and Lucas opposite Lavezzi on the flanks.
The crowd roared its approval, but the tide of the game took another turn for the worse. Slithering free on the right into the channel between Luiz and Maxwell, Suarez turned inside, nutmegged Luiz, jinked inside Marquinhos, held off Maxwell and beat Salvatore Sirigu with a near-post finish. Before PSG had even had a chance to recalibrate in a new formation, they were 2-0 down and staring defeat in the face.
Not long after, Suarez made it three, nutmegging Luiz again on the way to a cool finish one-on-one with Sirigu. He made the Brazilian look silly, and the defender's shocking attempt at a tackle high up the pitch seemed reminiscent of the one he tried at the FIFA World Cup 2014 when Germany decimated the hosts.
With space in behind, engaging high up, you don't go in front-facing. You turn and run with the man, then try to hook the ball clear, or when you're backed up enough, try and block. Technique, positional awareness and football IQ distinctly absent.
Odds & Ends
- The tie isn't dead, but it's a long way back for Paris Saint-Germain. Given the injury situation and the deficit they're facing, it's tough to see them recovering.
- As soon as Thiago Silva is injured/suspended, leaving Luiz to his own devices, he morphs into a Sunday league footballer. It's unbelievable.
- Marquinhos was brilliant all evening; a world-class defender is blossoming in there. This was the first time he had lost a game all season long.
- Xavi proved again he can be a late sub and game manager. Enrique will have a lot of time for that as we enter the final stretch.
- This performance might be enough for PSG to give up on Cavani and sell him. They'd still get £30 million, recouping a chunk of what they paid.
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