Valentine’s Day surely didn’t disappoint! PSG were pipped against the men from Catalonia in a mouth-watering round of 16 clash in the Champions League, and boy, did it deliver a sweet treat.

Barcelona set out in a very unfamiliar fashion, as Luis Enrique opted to utilize a 4-4-1-1 formation that was used in their 2nd leg Copa Del Ray win against Atletico Madrid just a week ago. Messi was given the role of the 10, in behind Suarez, with Neymar providing the width on the left and Gomes given the role on the right. Also, with Sergio and El illusionista (Iniesta) acting as the engine room tangent. This formation was very evident mostly, when Barca sat in their defensive shape.

In contrast to this PSG started and finished the game in a 4-1-4-1, with Rabiot acting as the pivot at number 6. At times Verratti would play in tangent with Rabiot, as Matuidi would stay further up the pitch and not come deep to get the ball.

From the off it was evident that PSG were not going to let Barca get into any sort of rhythm as they pressed them high up the pitch. What was most notable about their press was that they went man for man. When Barca tried to play out from the back Cavani would press the GK, while the wide players looked to press their respective CB’s.

When the Ter Stegen looked to find the full-backs, one of the middle field triangle of Matuidi, Verratti or Rabiot would press the full-back as the other two would fall in behind. Though, man-on-man pressing can be very effective, it can be done when the defender is beaten by an attacker, as then other players have to adjust to the new situation. This happened a number of times as Neymar was able to beat his man.

PSG press was highly effective as Barcelona were for large parts unable to play comfortably out from the back. By pressing so high up the pitch PSG could not only force Barca into mistakes, but they could stay on the front foot as they were able to keep the game in Barca’s half. However, when Barca were able to maintain good position, PSG sat back and formed a diamond in the middle of the park to disallow Barca from playing vertically between the lines through their midfield. This resulted in Barca playing side-to-side, which made PSG’s defensive job easier as the game was always in front of them. By been forced to play side-to-side, Iniesta and Messi were unable to play in the pockets and run at the back four. This also resulted in the lack of involvement of Suarez when PSG sat in. Unable to find the pockets, Messi and Iniesta were forced to receive the ball deep which played into PSG’s hands as they were playing in front of them instead of behind them.

Like PSG, Barca were selective in their pressing. However, rather than go man-to-man they opted to press PSG into moving the ball predictably in one direction. The catalyst for this was Suarez who would curve his run, to ensure that the ball would be played on the same-side. This allowed his teammates behind him to take up positions that gave them the highest chance of winning the 1st and the 2nd balls. When PSG had good position, Barca sat in with two clear banks of four with Messi acting as the tip of the diamond in the middle of the park.

Though placing Messi at number 10 has its obvious benefits offensively, it does not help as it was evident that Sergio and Iniesta were been overrun in the midfield. As a result of Messi’s lack of defensive effort, Busquests and Iniesta were essentially playing a 3 v 2 inside and at times a 4 v 2; as Di Maria was constantly drifting inside and looking to play in the pocket between the Barca back four and the midfield four. It essentially became a rondo, as PSG were able to play inside both horizontal and most importantly, vertically. By playing and receiving in the pockets, PSG could essentially cut out 5 Barcelona players with one pass and drive at the Barca back four.

One thing to note also was the role of Matuidi. Matuidi was constantly making runs in-between the CB and the full-back. This resulted in either a Barca midfielder been dragged out as he was forced to match his run or CB of full-back picking up the run. Unlike the right-side of PSG, the left-side was more rigid as Draxler hugged the touchline. By hugging the touchline and Matuidi making runs in between the back four, PSG was able to create confusion and space.

Overall PSG looked like a team on a mission, and this was evident in their attitude and the way they approached the game. This was in stark contrast to Barcelona who looked as if they didn’t or came to the game in the wrong mindset. This was blatantly evident in their work rate on transition. Barca always have hope when talents like Messi and Iniesta are on the pitch in the second leg, but Enrique will have to seriously consider a change as his tactics were half the cause for Barca’s poor performance in the first leg. It would not be a bad idea for him to think about going back to the 4-3-3 that made the Catalonians famous.

https://streamable.com/nj6u7 – Messi vs PSG

https://streamable.com/buw2n – Verratti vs Barca

https://vimeo.com/204206439 – Verratti passing between the lines