Even defending on home ground is impossible.
As everyone knows, PSG's 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich last week was the first time a Champions League semi-final had seen nine goals. It was incredibly exciting, but that scoreline raises a number of issues. Why, despite scoring five goals in a high-stakes match, couldn't they gain a decisive advantage? Why, even after leading by three goals at home (5-2 at halftime), did PSG fail to adopt a safer approach to protect that crucial lead, allowing the visitors to equalize at 5-4?
First, let's talk about a very important concept throughout the history of football: home advantage. The biggest advantage for the home team is actually not the support of the fans, nor the familiarity of the pitch (nowadays, all Champions League stadiums are standardized to the point of being almost completely identical). Experts have studied and concluded that the home ground is usually where the home team has the highest chance of proactively imposing their playing style.
Dembele (right) - PSG's attacking star.
Photo: AFP
Another study suggests that the home advantage seems to have significantly diminished in recent years. UEFA's decision to abolish the "away goals" rule is partly due to this. The question raised earlier – why PSG couldn't proactively switch to a safer style of play to protect their three-goal lead (which would almost certainly guarantee them a place in the final) – is another example illustrating the reduced effectiveness of home advantage.
PSG's playing style is excellent. However, because of this, PSG doesn't easily switch to a different playing style or pursue different goals; meaning their proactive approach in imposing their style of play isn't very high.
The game is about positioning, not personnel.
Tactically, PSG always keeps their central defenders in position, ready for counter-attacks. They act as the defensive "anchors." In addition, there are always three other "anchors" in attack: the wing midfielders positioned close to the touchlines to maximize the attacking space, and the striker positioned as high as possible. Looking at the PSG lineup, there's always someone occupying all five of these positions. The difference is: the central defenders are fixed positions, while the three positions above them are always occupied, though not necessarily by a specific player.
Last season, PSG won the Champions League final and set a record for the biggest margin of victory (5-0 against Inter Milan, a team known for its defensive prowess). How was that record-breaking scoreline achieved? Amazingly, right-back Achraf Hakimi, positioned as a striker, tapped the ball into the net from just 7 meters out, only 12 minutes into the game.
If it were a weak or losing team, people would point to Hakimi in that play to conclude that the team's play was chaotic, the players were out of position… In reality, when PSG attacks, it's normal for the center forward to be in the middle of the field, for full-backs to be in the center forward's position, or for wingers to appear in the central area. Coach Luis Enrique's tactical discipline absolutely requires that there be players in 5 "anchor" positions, with 2 of those defensive "anchors" being center-backs.
PSG's successful style of play is largely due to their seamless coordination. The players move like automatic machines, substituting for each other. It's a style of play that relies on space and movement, rather than on specific players. Only after superstars like Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe left did PSG's style of play truly flourish. And now they excel with players like Kvaratskhelia or Doue. Coach Enrique once said: "In my team, there are no players who move according to their own will." PSG has perfected this style of play to such an extent that when they want to retreat and defend, they can't. As a result, goals rain down at both ends of the pitch when they face strong opponents.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-psg-cong-hay-ma-thu-yeu-185260503161952952.htm
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