Between Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, only one winner and he is Catalan. For 90 minutes, this Wednesday, Manchester City displayed its superiority over PSG thanks to a very high block and constantly available players. On the goal of the equalizer, signed Raheem Sterling (63rd), the English club attacks nine when the PSG only defends seven players.
On a long sequence of English possession, Paris fails to emerge. The three forwards walk and the Citizens rule out the game from left to right. In the corridor defended by Nuno Mendes, City creates the surplus thanks to Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gündogan, when Idrissa Gueye and Neymar are too axial. The whole defense is sucked up and Achraf Hakimi leaves the striker several meters ahead.
“In this system, we ask too much of the relay mediums, analyzes Oswald Tanchot, former coach of Le Havre and Amiens. They have to manage the two-sided catches on the sides and the intervals. We light up a bit on the technical aspect. But when you have to shut everything down, it’s just too hard. A point that is felt in the numbers: Gueye and Herrera only touched 37 and 35 balls in just over an hour of play, almost the same total as Keylor Navas on the same timing. Too busy running to compensate for City’s attacks, they could not get back enough to help Leandro Paredes’ ball exits (71 balls hit).
The stars lagging behind
The second goal conceded by PSG also reflects the lack of replacement of the attacking stars. In the 75th minute, an exchange between Mbappé, Neymar and Messi brings a strike from Di Maria out of the frame. On the transition phase started by City, the ball goes back into the corridor now defended by Thilo Kehrer. The German first leaves too much space for Riyad Mahrez who can center towards the far post. Where Hakimi, totally neglected by Di Maria, has to manage a two-on-one situation.
City’s technical quality does the rest and the score is 2-1. Sequences already repeated during the first period. “We must not forget that the defensive aspect is also collective,” says Marquinhos at the end of the match. Hoping that the warning will be heard by all.
