Paris Saint-Germain turned in an inspiring performance to beat Liverpool 2-1 in their Group C Champions League clash.
Juan Bernat opened the scoring in the 13th minute as the hosts began brightly while the influential Neymar added a second in the 37th minute.
Angel Di Maria’s lunging challenge brought down Sadio Mane inside the area as the away side pulled one back when James Milner converted the resulting penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Here’s a look at how Thomas Tuchel fared in the tactical battle with Jurgen Klopp.
BASIC STATS
Goals – 2
Shots – 11
Possession – 44%
Tackles – 17
Dribbles – 7
30-SECOND REPORT
With the prospect of elimination lurking, Tuchel had it all to do in this fixture. Given PSG’s ambitions in the competition, the pressure was on and the first good thing the manager did was get his players riled up for the challenge.
Even on the touchline, Tuchel yelled and gesticulated like a madman to the extent that perhaps even the eccentric Klopp was taken aback.
It wasn’t all about ranting, raving and winding up the crowd to produce a hair-raining atmosphere though. Tuchel clearly planned for this contest meticulously and his tactics had an air of sophistication.
The flexibility of the team, utilising various shapes in different phases of play over the course of the game was remarkable. Early on, they seemed to immediately dominate the ball by means of a 3-4-1-2 formation with Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat pushing up while Marquinhos dropped in to support Thiago Silva and Presnel Kimpembe.
That changed as soon as they broke the deadlock though and for the majority of the match, they operated in a 4-4-2 without the ball and a 4-2-3-1 in possession. Neymar was the key, linking up play superbly while Kylian Mbappe was his favourite outlet.
PSG were impressive.
TACTICAL TALKING POINT
Neymar’s role
Barcelona wasn’t big enough for two talismanic figures and so Neymar was always destined to leave Camp Nou from under Lionel Messi’s shadow. Now at PSG, the Brazilian has shown his ability to lead the team in their quest for European glory and Wednesday night was another example of that.
The fact that he doesn’t seem consumed in competition with a young trailblazer like Mbappe and instead plays the more influential role, feeding the blossoming talent of his team-mate shows great maturity.
Tuchel realises that and his utilisation of the 26-year-old was excellent. Without possession, the Brazilian was entrusted with left midfield role while Mbappe had the freedom of staying upfront with Edinson Cavani. Neymar was even seen tracking back to support Juan Bernat on occasion.
Meanwhile, he was the conductor in attack, breaking quickly in the transition and assuming a central role linking midfield with attack. Only Marquinhos had more touches than Neymar who was easily the most influential figure on the pitch.
Neymar starred against Liverpool.
VERDICT
Tuchel brought his A-game for this one and had it not been for Di Maria’s desperate tackle, his side may even be celebrating a more comfortable win. His tactics were inspired and there didn’t seem to be any shortage of motivation. Even his substitutions seemed to be the right ones although he was let down by his players’ inability to kill off the game.
Rating 8/10
