As a coach, Tuchel (above) isn’t afraid of unorthodox methods – cutting the training pitch into a diamond to encourage diagonal runs on goal proved successful for his attackers at Mainz, while he made his defenders hold tennis balls to discourage shirt pulling at Dortmund. Despite showing flexibility in his formation, his preferred 4-1-4-1 structure – coupled with very high full-backs – allowed his Dortmund side to dominate possession in the midfield third, and effectively press high and counter-press in advanced areas.

Tactical analysis

Structure

Tuchel has started at PSG with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 structure – the formations his current crop of players have been most accustomed to – although he did appear to switch to a 3-5-2 in the 3-1 home win over Angers in late August.

The head coach’s tactics are also likely to differ in Europe, where the attacking superiority of attacking players such as Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe may not be quite so devastating as they are against inferior and overloaded domestic defences. In Ligue 1, PSG can set up with more players behind the ball to cover defensive transitions – the main threat they face, as they dominate possession against nearly every domestic opponent.

The defensive back three Tuchel tends to set up with in possession allows Neymar and Mbappe to support Cavani within the inside channels and creates space in wide areas for wing-backs such as Thomas Meunier, Dani Alves, youngster Stanley N’Soki or even Angel Di Maria – who can fulfil this role down the left – to get forward.

Should Tuchel want the wide forwards to remain wide, leaving the inside channels free, then a 4-1-4-1 structure as he used at Dortmund could come into play. Central midfielders such as rumoured Liverpool target Adrien Rabiot, Marco Verratti, Julian Draxler and even Neymar could all provide attacking movements within the inside channels, allowing Mbappe and Di Maria to isolate their opposing full-backs.

Arguably PSG’s biggest group-stage test in this season’s Champions League comes in their opening match – a trip to Anfield to face last season’s runners-up Liverpool. Scoring at Anfield on a European night is notoriously difficult – as Porto, Manchester City and Roma all found out last term – so it is likely that Tuchel will revert to a back four behind two defensive midfielders.