Paris Saint-Germain are struggling in Europe under new manager Thomas Tuchel, who has changed his approach for Champions League games.
Thomas Tuchel was billed as the man to finally lead PSG to Champions League glory, but the story so far this season has been all too familiar: dominant in Ligue 1, lacking in Europe.
Heading into matchweek 4, Tuchel’s side are in third place in Group C, with their only win coming at home to Red Star Belgrade. If an away loss to last season’s finalists, Liverpool, was forgivable, a 2-2 draw at Napoli last time out was harder to stomach, and leaves the club with little margin for error. Anything but a win on Tuesday leaves the French champions at the mercy of other results.
As always when PSG struggle in Europe, questions are asked about their lack of serious competition in Ligue 1. They’ve been even more dominant than usual this season, setting a new record for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues by winning 12 consecutive matches to start the season and scoring 41 goals in the process. They already have an 11-point lead over second-place Montpellier.
If this lack of competition really is the problem, it’s manifesting itself primarily in defense. Napoli repeatedly got in behind PSG two weeks ago with early, whipped balls toward Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne, while Liverpool’s attack, the best in Europe last season, was given almost free reign to run at PSG’s defense, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe providing little by way of defensive support.
Whether this is a result of laziness, a lack of clear instruction or a simply a belief that their attacking talent will win out in open games is mostly beside the point, which is that the club are in danger of exiting the only competition they really care about at the first hurdle. Liverpool and Napoli are both excellent teams, but given the money PSG have spent, and their clear focus on the Champions League, a group stage exit would be embarrassing.
And fairly or not, Tuchel will blamed for such an embarrassment. What, then, is the Germany manager to do?
Tuchel has favored a standard 4-2-3-1 in Europe so far this season, while showing much more variety domestically. Against Lille at the weekend, for example, they set up in a 3-5-2, with Neymar playing behind Mbappe as the lone striker. This gave the former the creative freedom he craves, while allowing the latter to play on the shoulder of the last defender, maximizing the threat of his pace in behind.
Edinson Cavani’s recent return from injury may complicate matters. If Tuchel does persist with a 3-5-2, he can’t use all three of his prized forwards, which is perhaps one of the reasons he’s reverted to the 4-2-3-1 in Champions League matches. This is of course exactly the sort of compromise that seems to have held PSG back in recent seasons, a desire to favor big name stars over smart tactical decisions.
The other problem with the 4-2-3-1 is that PSG lack an out-and-out ball-winner in midfield. Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot are both excellent, but they’re an odd pair as holding players. Lassana Diarra isn’t good enough against top opposition, and Marquinhos, who played center-back against Napoli last time out, may not be a good fit against opponents with a well-drilled press.
This problem isn’t nearly as severe in the 3-5-2, in which Christopher Nkunku can play alongside Verratti and Rabiot in midfield. Thiago Silva’s return from injury will also help organizing a three-man back line, and the extra man will help them deal with the runs of Napoli’s front two, which were such a problem the last time these sides met.
Regardless of the exact setup, the key for Tuchel will be ensuring PSG’s immense attacking talent doesn’t become a weakness. The back three has proved successful in Ligue 1 because it allows Neymar and Mbappe the freedom they need without undermining the team’s defense in transition. It’s time Tuchel tried the approach in Europe.