PSG 0-1 Bayern – Tactical Analysis
Bayern beat PSG in a match dominated in the first 60 minutes.
1-60
High press from the Nagelsmann team from which PSG wasn’t able to get out of. PSG used too much short passing, which allowed Bayern to have more players in the press winning the ball back, accumulating players in every play, with up to 7 players in the pressure.
When PSG regained the ball, Bayern was also very quick to get to the press, not giving easy passing lines to launch the counterattack. If PSG came out of the first press Bayern’s defence won every duel, with Upamecano completing a great game.
In this play Neymar controls but Pavard prefers to foul rather than allow the Brazilian to turn and move forward.
The other player who was very well defended was Messi. Every time he received the ball he had several opponents close to him so that he couldn’t play without pressure.
One of the few plays in which he was free was in this one but PSG lacked at all times a striker to provide solutions in attack.
With Bayern in possession PSG positioned themselves in a mid block. We can see here Kimmich with the ball and the line of midfielders don’t go out to press him.
The German was the most important player in Bayern’s build-up and he only failed to give some passes to Sané who during the first half tried to attack the space in many plays without receiving any ball.
PSG did a good job defending the flanks, preventing Bayern from generating superiority, but they had more problems defending crosses. Bayern never accumulated many players in the opponent’s box but still the crosses were very easily finished.
In this play a mistake by Sergio Ramos allowed Choupo-Moting to finish alone.
Precisely from a cross and with Choupo-Moting pulling Sergio Ramos out of position came the goal. Ball to Alphonso Davies who puts a great cross to the far post where Coman appears, which should be defended by Nunes but in the absence of Ramos in the box he is badly positioned. Coman’s shot is good but Donnarumma could have done more to save it.
60-90 – Mbappé
With the entry of Mbappé on the field and losing the match PSG starts to press much higher, generating problems to Bayern. Constant turnovers and the match that had been controlled until then starts to have many more transitions. Mbappé manages to be the player who starts to give solutions to the attack with good combinations, playing with his back to goal but above all attacking the spaces. He does it on the left flank and through the center being unstoppable. Pavard ends up being sent off and PSG has several clear chances to score thanks to the offensive contribution of Mbappé. Messi starts to be alone in many plays and Bayern spends the last 15 minutes defending inside the box, including a disallowed goal in which Mbappé showed his power and speed.
Bayern won a match that PSG deserved to draw in the second half with an outstanding Kylian Mbappé.
