Ligue 1 2020/21 – PSG vs Rennes – tactical analysis

First-placed Paris Saint-Germain hosted third-placed Rennes in Ligue 1’s late kick-off this past Saturday evening. PSG came into this game off the back of a midweek UEFA Champions League loss away to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, while Rennes also suffered defeat in their UEFA Champions League clash with Chelsea last week.

Les Parisiens managed to bounce back from their midweek defeat, however, as they earned a 3-0 win over Rennes in Saturday evening’s game. As second-placed Lille also suffered defeat at the weekend in their meeting with Brest, this win saw PSG extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.

In this tactical analysis piece, we will provide an analysis of both sides’ tactics in this game. For Paris, we’ll examine some of the strengths and weaknesses of their build-up play, how their shape changed over the course of the contest and the key role that their aggressive pressing played in their victor. Meanwhile, for Rennes, we’ll provide some analysis of the various techniques they deployed during their build-up play, the importance of width to their attacking tactics and, similarly to Paris, how they deployed an aggressive press to their advantage.

Lineups and formations

The home side lined up in a 4-3-3 shape for this clash at Le Parc des Princes. Due to how they pressed, which we will discuss in greater length later on in this tactical analysis piece, their shape resembled more of a 4-2-3-1 at times when defending high, while it became a very narrow 4-5-1 when defending deep. On the ball, their shape was more of a 3-2-5, with both full-backs joining the attack and one central midfielder dropping into the backline.

Keylor Navas started in goal for Thomas Tuchel’s side, while right-back Thilo Kehrer, left-back Layvin Kurzawa and centre-backs Marquinhos and Abdou Diallo started just in front of the Costa Rican ‘keeper.