Ligue 1 2019/20: Dijon vs Paris Saint-Germain – Tactical Analysis

The clash between two teams who were at both ends of the table usually ended up with a convincing win for the higher-rated team. That was the expectation of both Dijon and Paris Saint-Germain fans before heading into their clash on matchday twelve of Ligue 1.

For the home side, they were never considered as favourites for this match looking at their record this season. With only two wins and three draws, Dijon sat at the bottom of the league table and many expected them to involve in the relegation battle. In contrast, though, their last five matches showed something different as they drew against both Lyon and Marseille while secured two wins over Strasbourg and Stade Reims.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a dominant spell as expected with nine wins since the start of the season. Still, their second loss against Reims showed there were more things that Thomas Tuchel’s side needed to improve. After four matches which saw them secured a total of twelve points out of twelve, their weaknesses were showed once again as two goals from Mounir Chouiar and Jhonder Cádiz helped Dijon climbed out of the relegation zone.

This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of Dijon’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what went wrong for Tuchel’s tactics against Stéphane Jobard’s tactics.

Lineups

Tuchel’s side entered this match lining his side up in their familiar 4-1-2-3 formation. The German manager had a handful of key players who absented through injuries, such as Thomas Meunier. The Belgian right-back remained on the sideline as his position was replaced by Colin Dagba in recent matches.

Alongside that, versatile defender Thilo Kehrer also missed out as he still recovered from his injury. This gave Presnel Kimpembe and Marquinhos the chance to pair up at the heart of PSG’s defence, while Abdou Diallo occupied the left-hand side with Kylian Mbappé playing in front of him.

On the opposite side, Jobard was lucky enough to have every player fit to choose for his 4-4-2 formation. New signing Alfred Gomis was chosen to start in goal as Senou Coulibaly and another fresh face in Bruno Ecuélé Manga screened in front of him.

Occupying the central midfield spots were former Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong and Wesley Lautoa, who spent time playing with Ndong when they were at Lorient. Up front, Júlio Tavares and Jhonder Cádiz took on the responsibility of scoring goals while Mama Baldé and Mounir Chouiar occupied both wings.

Dijons style of play

Being an underdog in this match, Dijon didn’t show the intention of sitting back and defending the box. In their 4-4-2 formation, the players formed two distinctive defensive lines and even positioned themselves in the central area of their own half. They aimed to stretch their shape fairly wide to occupy both the central area and the half-spaces.

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