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Luis Enrique helped PSG completely transform. |
There are matches where the first goal is not the deciding factor. There are confrontations where, in the first second, everything is decided - not by chance, not by the score, but by a symbolic act, a cold, wordless declaration: "We are here to suffocate you".
The final between PSG and Inter was just such a match, and the action was a rugby-style kick-off.
A new tactical concept
A long pass from the halfway line, out to the left. At first glance it looked like an amateurish mistake, but in reality it was a ruthless tactical design.
PSG proactively brought the ball out to create an attacking throw-in situation close to the final third of the field - a true "line-out" in rugby - to deploy a suffocating press, overwhelming Inter from the tenth second. Not a shot, nor a breakthrough, but a declaration. A tactical slap.
Luis Enrique, with all the arrogance of a strategist, made no secret of his intentions. He did not want to "probe", did not need "a period of engagement".
Enrique's PSG made one thing clear from the first second: this would be 90 minutes of the opponent being suffocated, put in a state of panic, having to react, having to survive, not playing football as usual. And that was the beginning of the inevitable collapse of Inter Milan - the team that defeated Barcelona on the way to the final.
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Luis Enrique's PSG deservedly won the Champions League. |
In football, throw-ins have long been considered an almost “harmless” situation. The defending team always has the advantage. But Luis Enrique saw what others overlooked: it was a fulcrum for extreme pressure, turning it into a place to start pressing.
Jurgen Klopp used this at Liverpool, bringing in a dedicated throw-in coach from Denmark to make the difference. But PSG took the idea to the next level: throw-ins are the opening move of a military campaign, with the entire squad pushing forward to cut off any channels of escape for the opposition.
The thing is, Inter were not prepared for this. They had no “plan B”, no one to act as a transit point when surrounded.
Hakan Calhanoglu, who was supposed to be the “pressure release point” from midfield, was virtually invisible. As a result, Yann Sommer, the goalkeeper who had been the hero against Barcelona, was forced to repeatedly clear the ball while being pressed, pushing his team into a state of constant chaos. There was no way out of the pressing, no stopping point, no coordination. Inter were drawn into a physical battle in which they were completely outclassed.
Luis Enrique made a big mistake at the 2022 World Cup when he turned Spain into a machine of aimless passing - more than 1,000 passes against Morocco but failed to create any breakthroughs. It was an image of conservatism and tactical stagnation.
But Luis Enrique at PSG is a completely different person: dynamic, daring, not afraid to break with classical principles. PSG are now one of the few teams that dare to play without a true centre-forward, and play really well when doing so.
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Dembele has a bright chance of winning the Golden Ball. |
Ousmane Dembele is not a “false 9”, but an unpredictable “multi-tasking monster”. When pressing, he plays like a shuttle midfielder.
When organizing, Dembele is like a number 10. When entering the penalty area, he is like a real striker. At the same time, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia constantly move inside, forming a dynamic attacking triangle, without the need for a set-up man like Karim Benzema did for Cristiano Ronaldo. It is the system that creates space, not the need for a "sacrificial number 9".
Hakimi is the fourth striker. He is no longer just a full-back but is involved in the midfield, helping with the finishing, coordinating triangles. PSG's system works like a swarm of bees: every position is switched, every area is exploited, every Inter defender has to stick to the ball, not the man - a recipe for disintegration.
Victory comes from strategic thinking, defeat comes from conservatism
If we talk about the reasons for Inter's failure, it would probably take many pages. But in the end, it was a lack of mental preparation.
Simone Inzaghi was passive, slow to change, and did not dare to break the traditional 3-5-2 structure even though he knew it was no longer suitable. Not using Frattesi or switching to a 4-defender formation made Inter always forced into a 5-man defense but still not enough to withstand the pressure.
Even the seemingly harmless kick-off at the start of the second half was a symbol of conservatism: it was just a pass back to the centre-back, instead of the risky set-piece PSG had used at the start of the match. That was when people realised: this match was decided by will and tactical vision, not individual skill or luck.
The final was not just a duel between two teams, but also a shift in tactical thinking between old and new. Luis Enrique - with that rugby kick - sounded a warning to the rest of European football: flexibility, the courage to change, and the ability to exploit small details (like a throw-in) will be a vital advantage in modern football.
There is no room for sedentary strikers. There is no time for “probing” first halves. There is no “break” in the game. From the first minute to the last, every action can be a tactical attack. And in that universe, Luis Enrique’s PSG are the pioneers – not the most traditional team, but perhaps the most… daring.
Source: https://znews.vn/psg-ve-lai-ban-do-chien-thuat-bong-da-hien-dai-post1557509.html
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