Paris Saint-Germain comfortably beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 in a game filled with drama.
Thomas Frank’s men initially frustrated PSG as the Parisians took a while to get going. But they eventually took control in the second half after Fabian Ruiz pounced on a loose ball to make it 3-2.
PSG’s ruthlessness in front of goal and ability to make the most of a chance eventually proved too much for a spirited Tottenham.
In this article we’ll cover:
PSG’s xG Overperformance
Frank’s gameplan against PSG largely worked. The plan was to sit in a 4-4-2 but be brave in the press when PSG had the ball in deep build-up. Spurs weren’t going to allow their opponents space to find their key creators and midfielders.
Particularly in the first half, PSG were largely on the fringes of Totenham’s box, lacking inventiveness and penetration. You could say that Frank’s plan, coupled with a braver intent in attack was working. But PSG’s clinicality has to be noted.
A staggering 3.12 Expected Goals over-performance indicates that even when Tottenham had limited PSG to shots from outside the box or the edge of the penalty area, they still somehow converted which swung the game in their favour.
Two brilliant strikes from Vitinha pegged Tottenham back twice after Spurs led. It goes to show that even with the correct setup, a team like PSG will find their way back into a game and quickly take control.
Luis Enrique’s changes
Although it may have seemed subtle, the introduction of Lee Kang-in allowed PSG to start purring and put their slick moves together in the second half.
Vitinha’s two goals made it 2-2, but the positioning of Lee and his movements combined with Warren Zaire-Emery were crucial.
Barcola was bereft of space and forced to pin Tottenham’s back line. With the introduction of Lee, PSG had three attackers in close proximity. As well as having Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves in midfield, the French side could make short give-and-go passes to each other.
If you look at the average positions of Vitinha, Ruiz and Neves, they were virtually on top of each other. This enabled them to receive balls fizzed at them by the defence, wriggling away from challenges quickly before passing.
Each one of PSG’s midfielders and attackers were brilliant at receiving the ball and dribbling past defenders. When they were closer together, the passing tempo quickened and so did the movements. Zaire-Emery helped to hold width, ensuring Lee could come inside as a dropping forward and operate in the half-spaces.
PSG are one of the rare examples of a team that contains many players that can receive with their backs to goal. Getting them closer together through Lee’s substitution improved their short, quick passing sequences. From that point, it felt as though PSG were playing with their renowned control, swagger and flair.
Improved Tottenham
Although the scoreline may have been 5-3, it really didn’t feel like a basketball or end-to-end match with plenty of chances and shots on goal.
Most of the goals scored were quick, opportunistic finishes from loose balls after dispossessing the opponent or brilliant strikes.
The score doesn’t paint the full picture. Frank and his team can take heart from the fact that though it wasn’t enough, it was a better, braver performance and something to build on.
Having Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall in midfield provided a lot more energy in the press and when Tottenham needed to progress the ball forward quickly.
It felt less rigid than some of Tottenham’s performances this season. While they still often retreated into a 4-4-2 mid block, there was less of a tendency to hit the ball long into the channels and more of an onus on encouraging midfielders to run in behind and overlap.
It may be a case that Frank is used to playing in such a way as his time at Brentford resulted in big scalps and the priority was to remain compact.
But there are definitely adjustments that he can take heart from and use in the season as he looks to recover from a damaging week.
