Paris Saint-Germain – Aston Villa: Les Parisiens Escape Madjo Show With Trophy Intact (2-1)

Paris Saint-Germain would look to defend their Super Cup trophy from Europa League winners Aston Villa. An early lead courtesy of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia promised formality, but it wouldn’t last as one prospect showed a glimpse of what’s to come. Villa would batter at PSG’s goal, leaving Désiré Doué to forge a great escape. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

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And so the curtain rises on a new European season. Paris Saint-Germain returned to the Super Cup in similar circumstances as last year: Champions League winners and a little over two weeks into an expedited preseason brought about by a bloated FIFA tournament. Their preparation coming into this game hadn’t been promising, with a loss to RCD Mallorca and a draw with Manchester United. 

Last season, it was Aston Villa’s turn to experience what Unai Emery does best: win the Europa League. It was the Premier League side’s first major European silverware since 1982, but for the Basque manager it would be his fifth Europa League title, having won it previously with Sevilla and Villarreal. And now he had a chance to add to his European catalogue by beating his former team.

Luis Enrique went with a 4-3-3 shape for his PSG side. Matvey Safonov was in goal, with a defense consisting of Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, and Achraf Hakimi. In midfield, João Neves, Vitinha, and Warren Zaïre-Emery. Up front, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, and debutant Maghnes Akliouche. 

Emery lined his side up in a 4-4-2 formation. In goal, Marco Bizot; with Ian Maatsen, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelöf, and Matty Cash in defense. George Hemmings and John McGinn flanked a midfield made up of João Gomes and Boubacar Kamara. 17-year-old Brian Madjo partnered with Emiliano Buendía in attack. 

Plan in motion

From the outset, there was a clash of styles between the two managers. Luis Enrique has made his PSG side into a model of positional control, while Villa under Emery excel in rapid and intense verticality, something that was only enhanced through the debut of Madjo in attack. The 17-year-old stands at 6 ft 4 and has a well-built frame that makes him the perfect target. 

Villa defended in a compact 4-4-2 medium block that wanted to block central access and shift PSG into the wide spaces. From here, Villa would look for triggers to spring their press, with the winger often jumping on their opposite number to create a temporary 4-3-3 pressing shape. However, PSG embraced this width. Doué vacated the central position and moved out to the right flank, creating an overload. The intention looked to be to attract Villa’s focus one way, while on the opposite wing Kvaratskhelia would isolate Cash. 

18th minute: PSG overload right wing attracting Villa wide. Space opens up for the switch. Zaïre-Emery pins McGinn, which leaves Cash isolated in a 1v1 with Kvaratskhelia. 

Yet, Kvaratskhelia was also free to rotate and drift central. That has been part of the beauty behind PSG’s mesmeric machine these past couple of seasons. When he shifted away, either Zaïre-Emery or Mendes would dart into the space he left vacant, pinning Cash and creating a source of tension where Villa had to stay aware and keep organized or risk letting their block disintegrate on one side. 

PSG’s opener would come from Villa losing possession just outside their box. Cash’s clearance fell to Madjo, but the teenager dallied on the ball, allowing Neves to pick his pocket and pass to Doué. The Frenchman quickly laid the ball off to Kvaratskhelia, who was left in a 1v1 with Cash. It was the scenario PSG had wanted to create, and the Georgian did not disappoint. His feet were too quick for Cash, and he created a moment of separation within the box, with which he fired home. 

Chances go wasting

Following the goal, Villa would work their way back into the game, but not before they were given a big let-off. Mendes combined with Kvaratskhelia down the left wing, releasing the fullback into acres of space. Mendes sprang forward and looked to pick out Hakimi with a low cross. His fellow fullback reacted slowly to the pass, and the ball wasn’t collected by the crowd of royal blue shirts that had joined the attack. 

Transitions would be the weapon of choice for Villa as Madjo became more involved in the game. As soon as Villa won the ball, they’d look for the 17-year-old. Madjo would collect, spray the ball wide to the wingers, and then turn and attack the box. It was simple, but he represented an unanswerable threat. PSG simply couldn’t handle him. Pacho struggled in duels both on the ground and in the air; he bounced off the former Luxembourg international (now an England youth international) when he tried to tackle him, and just didn’t have the height in aerial duels. 

PSG rode their luck as Madjo was given chance after chance to find the back of the net. For obvious reasons, the teenager lacked composure in his first competitive game since moving from FC Metz during the winter transfer window. He directed his headers wide and snatched at shots. It looked as if it wasn‘t going to be his night until, on the stroke of half-time, he showed a touch of sublime quality when he shrugged off a grapple from Pacho to volley home McGinn’s cross. 

PSG take back their lead

At half-time, Luis Enrique showed that he meant business, taking off Akliouche and bringing on Ousmane Dembélé. Control had slipped away from PSG by the end of the first half, with Villa looking threatening on almost every attack. Dembélé’s introduction would eventually prove to be vital in PSG restoring their lead, albeit materially not much changed in the shape of the match, as Villa looked the better and more threatening side. It would take them only a few quick passes from gaining possession to attacking PSG’s backline. 

50th minute: Villa in transition. Villa have a compact shape between the midfield and defensive lines, allowing for quick interchanges after winning the ball. Madjo drops into space, lays the pass off and then turns and attacks. A pure example of the threat he brought in helping Villa’s transition. 

It was against the run of play that PSG would score their second of the evening. A quick restart from a free kick saw Dembélé drop deep to collect possession. Doué rotated with his countryman attacking the space Dembélé left, and then splitting down the right wing. Dembélé timed his pass perfectly to allow Doué to slip behind the backline. He cut inside and finished past Bizot. The flag would rise, but VAR spotted that Cash was playing the forward onside. 

From that moment on, PSG would create the better chances in a match that soon gave way to a sense of fatigue. Tired legs on both sides would make errant passes and create a very stretched game. Villa lost a lot of their threat when Madjo was replaced in the 73rd minute by Tammy Abraham. The more experienced striker simply didn’t possess the same threat as the 17-year-old. And the feeling grew that Villa had lost their chance to take advantage of a PSG side that looked as if it was still deep within preseason mode. 

Takeaways

Despite the pomp of a trophy, it’s hard to take too many lessons from the Super Cup. It is, after all, little more than a friendly. PSG were quite sluggish and sloppy with some of their passes, and they’ll be disappointed that they gave the ball away so frequently to a team that’s so dangerous in transition. On the other hand, when the team clicked, they showed shades of that all-conquering machine. It’s hard not to think that in the coming weeks, the gears will be oiled and soon it’ll be back to its usual best. 

For Villa, this was a missed opportunity, but one they won’t think too much about once the season starts in earnest. If they had won, it would have been a significant confidence boost to a team that has lost key players like Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans. Madjo looked a threat when he was at Metz, and seems to have only grown in the months he’s had working behind the scenes with Villa. With a bit of age and experience, it’s hard not to think that he could be a frightening prospect for Premier League defenses. 

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