PSG Need to Make Tactical Changes in Ligue 1 for Champions League Success

Despite a wonderful start on Tuesday night, the eventual result, a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League against Arsenal, was the icing on the bitter-tasting cake for what has been a bad week for Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery.

"I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy with the way we played,” the Spanish boss told the club’s official website. “We created seven clear-cut chances. We played very compact and had a good pressing game. As long as we’re playing this way, we are on the right track."

There are some positives to take, certainly. PSG pressed extremely well in the first half, and they didn’t give Arsene Wenger’s team time to settle or put their foot on the ball. The Gunners are an excellent passing team, and if you take that away from them, they look a little lost.

That high-tempo pressing game was part of Emery’s successful tactics at Sevilla, so it was no surprise to see it on Tuesday.

It was encouraging to see how quickly the team have taken to his game plan, especially after some disappointing league displays.

When looking at PSG’s early Ligue 1 performances, that is one of the biggest issues and a huge reason why they have struggled to cause opponents constant problems.

They just haven't pressed their domestic opponents the way they harried Arsenal in the Champions League.

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PSG will take time to adapt to what Emery wants and perform how he envisions them playing, but the former Valencia boss would have been expecting more at this stage. “I have to keep working on our tactics and style,” Emery admitted to the club's website after the recent draw with AS Saint-Etienne.

During that game, the players were sluggish, lacking that same drive and desire they showed from the start against the Gunners. It shows they are capable of playing that way. It does require hard work and a lot of effort, but the new boss will expect it of the squad.

Following the game against Les Verts, Emery continued: 

"

The second half showed the way towards getting what I want. We have to find the right balance between attack and defence. I cannot be happy with tonight’s result.

We didn’t have any chances in the first half, perhaps one. I changed things, to try and make things happen, but it wasn’t enough. When the team is playing with more confidence, with a stronger identity, then things will go better. We have to stay optimistic after that second half – it showed we’re on the right track.

"

Before the Arsenal game, speaking to reporters, it seemed that Emery was hinting that the team wasn’t quite playing the way that he would want at this stage but that they were still working on it:

"

The team is doing well, even after two games without a win. The squad knows the path to take to improve, to win. I have said the same thing to the players ever since the first day. You have to work, be tenacious, be optimistic. But the most important thing is to work every day.

"

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Against Bastia in their season opener, they had to play without Edinson Cavani. Although the Uruguayan has struggled to find the target, defences have to respect his movement. Hatem Ben Arfa started as the centre-forward that night, and PSG missed a focal point to build the attack around.

Bastia didn’t have to respect the danger through the middle and focused their attention down the wings. That made it difficult for the Parisians to find space, and their chances were limited.

Back at the Parc des Princes, they beat FC Metz 3-0 the following week, but again, they didn’t impress. The newly promoted side had its chances, and when PSG went to AS Monaco on August 28, that same level of performance wasn’t good enough. Monaco took their chances and beat the champions 3-1.

There is no problem with playing patiently and at a slower tempo; it’s difficult to play fast and press the opposition for the full 90 minutes. However, PSG have found it difficult to flick that switch and change the pace when needed.

Against Saint-Etienne, too often the buildup was slow. French defenders are happy when the play develops in front of them. Full-backs and centre backs don't like being made to turn around and chase toward their own goal.

That’s where the pressing becomes so crucial to PSG’s success in Ligue 1 this season.

Especially in Paris, teams are going to turn up to defend in numbers, limit the space and frustrate the champions.

PSG need to be smarter. There are two things they need to do to help break down the opposition.

First, they need to play with intensity as soon as they lose the ball or when their opponents have possession. This is when they will be at their most vulnerable.

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Winning the ball back quickly, a trait of all Pep Guardiola's teams, would stop the defence from being able to reorganise and hand PSG more space and time to use their quality in the final third.

Too often, there is a sense of superiority about the way they play. They know they are better than the Ligue 1 sides, so there is no need to press—they will eventually get the ball back without too much effort.

But this slow, methodical style doesn’t help break the opposition down.

Second, when they play with a midfield three of Marco Verratti, Adrien Rabiot and Thiago Motta, or even Grzegorz Krychowiak, they need someone to break through the line of defenders. Not just the back line but sometimes two banks of four.

Without doing that, it’s too easy to defend. You are then relying on a mistake or a moment of brilliance to create a chance.

Exceptionally talented players such as Javier Pastore and Ben Arfa are comfortable coming short, picking up the ball and pushing forward.

What they need is someone such as Blaise Matuidi, a willing runner, one of the few players they have in the squad who is eager to burst past the forwards and ask questions of opposition defences.

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It doesn’t even need to create a chance. It just makes the defenders think and moves them out of position, creating space for others.

Rabiot has shown glimpses—maybe it's through Emery’s instructions or maybe it's instinct—but he doesn’t do it often enough, although he is perfectly built to play that role.

In the Champions League, a midfield three that prefers to sit makes sense. It’s stable, its components work hard to get the ball back and it’s difficult to break down.

That’s why Emery’s decision to play Matuidi on the left wing against Arsenal made perfect sense. It kept that protection but offered them an outlet, someone to trouble the defence.

PSG will undoubtedly go on to win Ligue 1—they are just too good not to. But they need to improve their weekly performances if they want to be able to transition that into Champions League success.

Working hard to win the ball back, pressing the defence—regardless of whether it’s against FC Lorient, FC Basel or Real Madrid—should be a priority. If you make it part of your philosophy, if you adopt it in every game, it becomes instinct.

That’s why PSG need to impress in the league and dominate teams in the way they should. Until they do that, they will struggle to become a truly great side in Europe.