It was simply a staggering night for the world of football and for some, or even most, in fact, it was the best night that they have ever experienced in their lives. The football delirium that is, Camp Nou, treated us with ninety minutes of fully blazing football, or maybe not as much for those who support the Parisians as FC Barcelona overturned their 4:0 deficit in the first leg to pull off a stunning 6:1 win over PSG.
A Complete Tactical Analysis Of Barcelona’s Thumping Win Over PSG
It’s no surprise that the game will take its place in the history books, perhaps the highest pages. Something you won’t get to witness week in week out. In this article, we will pickle out all the tactical aspects of the memorable encounter between two of Europe’s biggest teams.
Luis Enrique was incredibly optimistic ahead of the game but had just as much concentration on the game itself as well. His team started with a three-man backline, as Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Javier Mascherano marshalled the Catalan defence. Right from the start, the hosts started to play with a higher defensive line, with the likes of Gerard Pique, always looking to find that elusive pass. So much that PSG had to wait a fairly long time to get their feet on the ball.
The pass map of Pique suggests the amount of offensive work, the former Man United man had put in on the night. Completing a total of 74 passes. In fact, the defence was incredibly high, camping just 45 yards out from Kevin Trapp’s goal.
It was clear that the Catalans wanted to execute their elegant style of play, with some dazzling footwork coupled with quick-witted play. A style of play grown so familiar under Luis Enrique. However, the high line of play forced Enrique’s men to be inventive in their offensive gameplay. With not a lot of spaces to play with, Messi and Co. were largely seen playing intricate stuff on the edge of the penalty area. Meaning they had to take an immense amount of risk, as they might have been caught by an interception and eventually a counter attack.
However, it was Unai Emery’s men who were absolutely horrible on the night as they seemed happy to contain the seamless pressure from the opposition, without even trying to prevent their rhythm in the final third. It’s probably fair to say that Unai Emery’s men clearly failed in their horrible attempt to contain the mighty Barcelona. The completely flawed defensive game plan from the Spanish coach proved out to be one of the reasons for PSG’s demise.
One would say that the Catalans were lucky just because the Parisians choked throughout the game. But not to deny the fact that Luis Enrique’s men played as a team last night. Executing a high line of defence, the hosts hunted the ball in packs, not letting the opposition have space to run in behind. The players deserved what they achieved thanks to their immense work rate with defenders attacking, their attackers defending and everything in between.
The home side also played with width as both the fullbacks positioned themselves quite wide, which awarded space for the likes of Andreas Iniesta. Barcelona took their chances wisely as they plied forward at every given opportunity, while most of them coming from the flanks.
PSG, on the other hand, opted for a very deep defensive line. Yet the Blaugranas seemed intent on playing long balls over the defence. At the end, it paid dividends for the home side. Where other teams would have hardly tried to do that, Barcelona stood up to the challenge.
Neymar, in particular, was a phenomenon throughout the game. The Brazilian superstar held his nerve to dink a perfectly weighted ball for Sergi Roberto. Sure the outstretched leg of Roberto made it a fairytale ending for Barca but the fact that they had tried the similar route time and time again for the whole ninety minutes was no fluke.
At the same time, however, Barcelona should also count themselves lucky to get away with several referrals from the ref. Apart from that, though, Luis Enrique’s men deserve every bit of their incredible win which was achieved through immense focus and incredible work ethic. While in the other hand, PSG should cheer up as they are now a part of one of the most historical nights in the Champions League.
Image Credit: Whoscored
