The Champion’s League. A competition of such grand stature, of such possibilities. Somewhat emphasized amongst the erratic yet stoic moments dutring the PSG and Manchester United second leg match. Immediately it was evident that PSG had already started to dictate the game inside United’s half. Yet just at that moment. United get the first goal of the game, barely a few minutes in. A poor back pass from Kehrer to Thiago Silva intercepted by Lukaku, and slots home after a 1 on 1 scenario with Buffon. The last thing PSG would have wanted an early goal. Yet they continued to play the majority of the game in United’s half. At times did well to hold on to the ball, and aggressively win the ball back. PSG would soon score an incisive diagonal pass by Alves into Mbappe who then rolled it out wide far post to Bernat who took his chance. United created almost no chances. I say almost because United in fact did take hold of 2 big chances which they converted. One coming from a rebound after Rashford struck a shot from long range, with Buffon failing to hold or parry the ball away. Then the final goal from Rashford penalty in the 90th minute, thanks to a VAR decision. The referee declaring a hand ball on Kimpembe when Dalot kicked the ball seemingly heading way above goal. Despite it hitting Kimbembe’s elbow as he was facing away from the ball, seemingly unintentional, the referee still gave a penalty. And as likely as anyone’s possibility it is to score a penalty Rashford scores it. The game ends Paris out on away goals on aggregate 3-3.
The question is how. How does a team with so much possession of the ball in complete control of a game end up losing the game and the tie? The obvious answer to this question is PSG’s blatant mistakes defensively. A poor back pass, a slip by the goalkeeper, and a handball. Truly unlucky. One could even point out that it had rained earlier in the game a factor perhaps in Buffon’s slip. However the answer isn’t as obvious as that. The key thing to understand here is that Paris had complete control of the game. Naturally at that point it is important what you do with that control that matters. So how do you win? How do you get past a team that has all their players behind the ball. Essentially that’s what United did for almost the entirety of the game. Their players kept their shape moving together sliding side to side as PSG moved the ball side to side. Their wide players tucking in along side their defense. When United did try to launch a counter attack they where snuffed out relatively easily by PSG players. In fact the PSG defense had plenty of pace, Silva and Kimpembe could easily match the pace of Rashford or Lukaku. Indeed PSG’s problem was not defensively but on the attack. Yes the goals PSG conceded where unlucky, but you can’t improve luck. What PSG could have improved was their attack against united. PSG had chances and couldn’t convert them, but where they going about it the right way.
To answer some of these questions we will have to travel to the region of Spain, and into the city of Barcelona, were coach Ernesto Valverde resides in his office probably drinking tea or something. Since Valverde arrived at Barcelona he has changed many things tactically. If you where to ask Valverde hypothetically, “Mister, how does one score a goal against an opposing side?”, said a young boy. After giving the boy a cookie he would answer: “get in behind their line my boy, get in behind their defensive line”. Indeed often times it is seen when Barcelona players are on the ball, the try and play in attacking players who make runs in behind the opposing defense. “But sir, how does this relate to the Paris and United game?”, asked the young boy again. This is when Boateng comes out of nowhere and gives the boy a real belt whooping. You see the game has changed immensely over the years, as the ball moves faster and faster the defensive lines become closer and closer together. If teams play all their men behind the ball they wouldn’t have to expend as much stamina as they did in years past, because there is less space in the midfield. Even if United where playing deep in their own half, there would still be a sliver of space between the goalkeeper and the defensive line. In years past teams like Barcelona exploited the space between the back four and the midfield. Now it is between the back four and the goalkeeper. PSG played many of their passes side to side and didn’t play enough balls incisively through the United defense. United wanted you to keep the ball infront of them, as long as it is away from that space in front of the goalkeeper that’s all that mattered.
Football word man 