UEFA Champions League 2019/20: Club Brugge vs Paris Saint-Germain – tactical analysis

On paper, group A of the UEFA Champions League seemed to be a straightforward group with European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain likely to claim first and second place. However, after two matchdays, the performances paint a different picture. Club Brugge claimed a valuable point off Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu which could have easily been three, after losing a two-goal lead. Combined with their goalless draw against Galatasary on matchday one, they came into this fixture with two points when they could have so easily been on six.

Paris Saint-Germain were the only team in the group to secure two wins out of two and looked on course to claim another three points from the minnows in Belgium. However, their visit to Brugge wasn’t as easy as they thought. The Belgian side fought hard and outplayed the Parisians at times during the game.

This tactical analysis will analyse the tactics used by both coaches that saw them play out an interesting and feisty encounter in this UEFA Champions League group stage match.

Squads & lineups

The home side lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation looking to apply pressure on Paris Saint-Germain whilst remaining defensively solid to contain the fearsome front three.  The two wing-backs would support the two main strikers in Emmanuel Bonaventure and Percy Tau. The two central midfielders would look to press and take on PSG’s midfield trio with their energy, pace, and dynamism and release the speedy front two.

PSG, on the other hand, lined up in Thomas Tuchel’s standard 4-3-3 looking to control the midfield and allow the front three to cause havoc in attack. Mauro Icardi continued to lead the line and was flanked by Ángel Di María and Eric Maxim Chupo-Moting. They were, however, missing a few key players due to injury. Neymar’s European suspension was up but struggled with a hamstring injury. Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani were fit enough to make the bench after returning from lengthy layoffs. Summer signing Idrissa Gueye was out of the squad altogether also due to injury.

Paris Saint-Germain out of possession

Brugge found spaces in the final third behind the full-backs and were a constant threat to PSGs defensive line. There were often times in the first half which saw PSG being forced back into their own half trying to stop the attacking movements of Brugge. Tuchel enforced two major tactical points to counteract this: heavy pressing starting from the front three and getting numbers back in the defensive third.