Introduction
Following an underwhelming couple of seasons for PSG in Europe due to numerous factors, the Qatari ownership seems to have changed its strategy. After the 2021/22 season, PSG sacked their head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and sporting director, Leonardo. They have been replaced by Christophe Galtier and Luis Campos, respectively.
Christophe Galtier is well-known for shocking the Ligue 1 in the 2020/21 season when he won the league title with Lille. It was not a stroke of luck or good fortune. He took over the job mid-way through the 2017/18 season when they narrowly avoided relegation. In the next two seasons, they finished second and fourth respectively. After which, he won the Ligue 1 in 2020/21. Needless to say, he is well-qualified to build a competitive squad with fewer resources than the bigger teams.
Galtier was not the only one who worked behind the scenes to build the successful league-winning side. At the time, Luis Campos was the club's Sporting Director, who formulated the transfer strategies and appointed Christophe Galtier in the first place. The pair were appointed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi (PSG President) to reach greater heights and create history for the Parisian club.
The club has suffered from unwise and short-sighted judgment for the past years. Since PSG's acquisition in 2011 by Qatar Sports Investments, PSG has won eight league titles, six Coupe de France, six Coupe de la Ligue, and nine Trophee des Champions. However, the noticeable trophy missing in their cabinet is the UEFA Champions League.
PSG has not found success in Europe due to various factors. With modifications in strategy, transfer policies, and changes in tactical philosophies, they hope to obtain the right solution.
This analysis will focus on Christophe Galtier's tactical system in PSG. With data analytics, we will determine the best starting eleven he could lineup based on player roles.
Line-up & Roles
We will first look at the formation that Galtier favors and then analyze the specific roles of each position. For PSG's first league game, they used a 3-4-1-2, and I expect them to stick to this for the rest of the season. It provides them more defensive solidity and balance than a back four. It also suits the players currently in their squad.
PSG Formation
Goalkeeper (GK)
The GK must be comfortable on the ball to help build possession from the back. Donnarumma will likely play every game unless injured or rested as they are trying to sell Navas.
(Preferred players: Donnarumma/Navas)
Center Backs (CB)
The three central defenders must have good distribution skills. The wider center-backs will slightly push up to provide a passing option for the wing-backs and midfielders.
(Preferred players: Marquinhos/ Kimpembe/Ramos/Mukiele/Kehrer)
Defenders Distribution Channels
Wing-backs (LWB/RWB)
The wing-backs provide width for the team. They should be able to deliver accurate crosses and take powerful shots if they find themselves close to the box at any time. They must know when to make runs behind the opposition back-line and must be athletic to help offensive and defensive phases.
(Preferred players: Hakimi/Mukiele/Bernat/Mendes)
Types of Runs & Crosses Expected from Wing-backs
Center Midfielders (CM)
The two CMs have different roles. One must play deeper to help the defenders in the build-up phase and maintain the position as a holding midfielder when attacking. He must be capable of accurate long passes and play under constant pressure.
The other midfielder has the license to push higher up the field in all phases. However, if the opposition locks out PSG's defensive midfielder from the game, he must drop deep to help move the ball.
(Preferred players: Verratti/Vitinha/Sanches/Fabian Ruiz/Herrera)
Movement of Center Midfielders to Receive the Ball in Build-up
Passing Channels & Movement from CMs
Center Attacking Midfielder (CAM)
The CAM is the most creative player on the team. He should help create chances for the two strikers, distribute the ball wide to the wing-backs, and drift into free spaces.
(Preferred players: Messi/Neymar)
Strikers (ST)
The left and right strikers operate in the half-spaces. They can rotate with each other and the CAM depending on the situation. They should be adept at link-up play, making runs behind the opposition defensive line, and be efficient finishers.
Possessional Plan
Phase 1
Phase 1 is also known as the build-up phase. During this stage, the team decides whether the goal kick will be a long ball or a short pass to the defenders or midfielders. PSG choose to build up using their center backs and midfielders. Let us see their formation when they play out from the back.
Two center backs move wide, close to the edge of the penalty box, whereas the other center back starts as a passing option right through the middle. The wing-backs maintain width close to the touchline, and the deep-lying center midfielder (CM) drops as a passing option for the center backs.
Phase 2
It is the period when the team has successfully kept possession through phase 1 and tries to move into the opposition half of the pitch. Let us look at the positions taken during the stage.
The other CM keeps a higher position to receive and drive with the ball from a more progressive position. When the ball is on the left, the right wing-back (RWB) frees himself on the opposite side to make himself available for the switch. The left wing-back (LWB) makes the same movement if the ball is on the right.
The two strikers remain narrow but can drop deep or move wider in case there is space. As mentioned before, the CAM can move freely depending on the situation.
Phase 3
At this point, the team has made its way into the opposition's final third and aims to penetrate the defensive line.
These are the positions they take in phase three. The attacking patterns they use in this stage will be discussed in detail when explaining their offensive tactics.
Offensive Plan
Low Block
They attack in different ways depending on different situations. As we analyzed the positions in phase three, let us first look at how they try to unlock low-block defenses.
Once they have made their way into the final third, Galtier wants their players to form attacking triangles. It helps the players have two passing alternatives and the option to play one-twos to find a through ball behind the defenders. Another observation we can make is that there are no players fixed to play in the triangles. In this case, the CM, CB, and RWB form the triangle on the right. However, the ST or CAM could drop into the space highlighted above.
Apart from the attacking triangles on the wings, they also use the CAM to find more space. If they find the CAM, he will have many passing options. He could either play the wing-backs or the strikers with a through ball. Another alternative is to play one-touch passes with the strikers to charge through the middle. Assuming there is no space on the right and center, they can switch the ball to the left, where an attacking triangle has already formed.
Mid-block & Transition
In my opinion, PSG is the most dangerous when they play in the transition. Through balls can be played behind the opposition defenders with the pace of players like Mbappe, Hakimi, and Mendes running behind. Opposition defenders would also find it difficult to face the creativity and dynamism of Messi and Neymar while running back.
Shown above are a few examples of the passing options available while in transition. It is quite evident that at least one of the wing-backs is free to receive a through ball. There is also the possibility of finding a striker behind the defensive line.
Diving into a little more detail, if you look at the last two examples, we can see that the strikers drop deep. They do so not only to get involved with build-up play but also to distract the defenders to follow them so that there is more space for PSG's wing-back to run into. In case the defenders read the purpose of this movement, the striker is still left with options of playing the CAM or even switching the ball to the opposite wing-back.
In my opinion, I feel that it is time for PSG to not try and emulate the possession dominant sides like Manchester City and Liverpool in Ligue 1. They should develop complex attacking patterns that can be used in transition and experiment with them during the domestic season. When they play against the bigger teams in Europe, they would have become accustomed to this style of play which in turn gives them a better chance to defeat them. The two previous Champions League winners, Chelsea and Real Madrid were not possession-hungry. When they faced the tournament favorites, they found success playing on the transition. If PSG follows the same strategy, they could not put themselves in a better condition to become a serious challenger.
Defending & Pressing
The biggest drawback of the 2021/22 PSG team was its lack of defensive efficiency. They got caught out many times due to their absence of a defensive structure and a scarcity of aggressive pressing. It is unclear whether Galtier has found the perfect defensive plan until tested in Europe. Regardless, let us still look at the system he has implemented.
The team initially starts in a mid-block of 5-2-3. The three attackers do not press high and aggressively. Instead, they block the passing lanes through the middle. It forces possession to wide spaces and this becomes the team's pressing trigger.
If the opposition progress the ball further, they drop into a low block. The low block will use a 5-2-3, 5-3-2, or a 5-4-1.
The defenders and midfielders strictly maintain their positions. However, the lack of pressing from the front three is worrying. Tactically astute teams will easily cause overloads if at least two attackers do not track back. It would leave space on the flanks. Teams with intimidating aerial presence would find success from crosses from wide spaces left undefended.
If Galtier aims for a successful European campaign, PSG must have an adept defensive system in place that has minimal loopholes.
Recommended Line-up
Now that we have analyzed Christophe Galtier's system, we will look at the strongest starting eleven he could set up with the available players in the squad. We will come to this conclusion by comparing players' data.
GK: Navas
(Source: fbref)
CB: Marquinhos/Kimpembe/Ramos
(Source: fbref)
LWB: Mendes
(Source: fbref)
RWB: Hakimi
(Source: fbref)
CM: Verratti/Ruiz
(Source: fbref)
CAM: Messi
(Source: fbref)
ST: Mbappe/Neymar
(Source: fbref)
Line-up:
Conclusion
This season will be one of PSG's most crucial campaigns. After a substantial change in culture and strategy, the club will come under heavy scrutiny if they do not perform domestically and more importantly, in Europe. The new approach by the ownership looks like it will take the team in the right direction, but only time will tell. All eyes will be on the Parisians. Let us see how they fair this season and if they can achieve the ambitions the club aspires to fulfill.
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