If Paris Saint-Germain is already certain of not having a season as rich in trophies as the previous one, it remains one of the most attractive teams in the world in terms of play. This Wednesday, the Football Observatory of the International Center for the Study of Sport (CIES) published its ranking of the “most playful teams” on the planet, via its weekly letter.
The capital club is near the top of the ranking, just ahead of Bayern Munich. Luis Enrique’s team overlooks FC Barcelona (3rd) and Bayer Leverkusen (4th), but also AS Saint-Étienne (8th) and Olympique de Marseille (10th), surprising members of the Top 10.
At the top on the duration of possessions
The CIES Football Observatory has established four criteria to create this list. The indicators are the proximity of passes – the shorter the better -, the rhythm of these transmissions in the possession phase, the duration of possessions and the ground play ratio – “the percentage of balls received in the opponent’s third below the knee”.
Paris is particularly attractive in two of these areas. He has the 3rd highest passing rate and longest possession duration. The rankings were constructed using data from 915 teams from 58 different leagues. The European champion can thank both his coach, but also his midfielders, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz and João Neves.
On the scale of Ligue 1, the Parisians and the Marseillais are positioned above Strasbourg (3rd), AS Monaco (4th) and Stade Rennais (5th). PSG’s main competitor in the Championship this season, RC Lens ranks 6th, while Le Havre (16th), Nantes (17th) and Brest (18th) bring up the rear.
