Paris Saint-Germain suffered a second straight 1-0 Ligue 1 loss in their second game of the 2020/21 season this past Sunday as Olympique de Marseille emerged triumphant from the new season’s first instalment of ‘Le Classique’ Ligue 1’s answer to La Liga’s ‘El Clasico’ clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
While this fixture condemned Les Parisiens to their second straight loss, leaving them in 18th place in the Ligue 1 table after just two games, Sunday’s Parc des Princes win gave Marseille their second straight victory of the new season and leaves them in fifth place in the league table after playing one less game than three of the four teams sitting above them at present.
In this tactical analysis piece, we will look at both of these sides’ tactics from this past Sunday’s game, both in and out of possession. We will provide analysis of some of the key aspects of both these teams’ tactics from Sunday’s fixture and look at how Marseille kept PSG quiet while examining how Paris attempted to break down a stubborn Marseille defence.
Lineups and formations
Firstly, we will look at how both of these teams lined up for Sunday’s Le Classique. Sergio Rico started between the sticks for the home side in this game, with a back four of left-back Juan Bernat, right-back Alessandro Florenzi and the centre-back duo of Thilo Kehrer and Presnel Kimpembe playing in front of the Spanish ‘keeper.
In midfield, Idrissa Gueye was joined by Marco Verratti and Ander Herrera, while the attacking trio of Pablo Sarabia, Ángel Di María and Neymar made up the rest of Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI.
