Paris Saint-Germain – AS Monaco: Les Monégasques’ Win Reopens Ligue 1 Title Race (1-3)

AS Monaco have brought life back into the Ligue 1 title race by defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 at the Parc des Princes. Under head coach Sébastien Pocognoli, Les Monégasques appear to have found the blueprint to unsettle Luis Enrique’s side, even if it hasn’t always left the club the victors in this season’s encounters. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

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With RC Lens’s title challenge losing steam in recent weeks, Paris Saint-Germain have returned to their familiar place at the top of the Ligue 1 table. Four points separate them from their nearest challengers coming into this weekend, but they would be up against a team that had beaten them last time they met in the league. 

Although AS Monaco have encountered PSG twice since their 1-0 win in November, and lost both meetings as they were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League. In both of those games, a familiar story would unfurl. Monaco would impress early, score, and then come undone with a red card. Funnily enough, they also received a red card in their win in November. 

No surprises as Luis Enrique went with a 4-3-3 shape for his PSG side. Matvei Safonov has become the undisputed no.1 over Lucas Chevalier. In defense, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Illia Zabarnyi, and Achraf Hakimi. In midfield, Vitinha at the base with Warren Zaïre-Emery and Dro Fernandez. Up front, a fluid front three of Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. 

Sébastien Pocognoli picked a 3-4-2-1 formation. In goal, Philipp Köhn with a back three of Wout Faes, Denis Zakaria, and Thilo Kehrer. In midfield, Aladji Bamba and Lamine Camara, with Caio Henrique and Vanderson as wing-backs. In attack, Folarin Balogun was joined by Maghnes Akliouche and Mamdou Coulibaly as inside forwards. 

Lack of control

Luis Enrique was without either Fabián Ruiz or João Neves in his midfield, with Dro and Zaïre-Emery deputizing as the no. 8s. Both teenagers are exceptionally talented and more than capable players, but are not the manager’s preferred choice in the role. And it was noticeable that whilst PSG were, as expected, the side with the greater share of possession, they lacked their usual suffocating control and made sloppy errors, leading to turnovers. 

As a result, the game fell into a strange rhythm, with Vitinha wary of Monaco’s threat in transiton he took up a more cautious approach. The midfielder sat deeper in possession than expected, as he tried to protect Les Parisiens from Monaco’s frequent attacks on the break. However, the knock-on effect was that by positioning himself further back because of the lack of control in midfield, his positioning exacerbated the issues at hand, as PSG were deprived of his talents in more advanced areas. 

PSG looked to build with a three at the back. Hakimi pushed up the pitch into a no.10 role, while Vitinha would, situationally, drop into the backline, freeing Mendes to also move forward. Monaco wanted to put pressure on this shape with a high press that had man-to-man elements. Coulibaly, Balogun, and Akliouche would close down the back three, while Bamba and Camara marked Dro and Zaïre-Emery. Monaco’s backline was encouraged to jump and prevent PSG’s rotations, creating a free man in midfield. 

7th minute: Monaco high press. Vitinha drops deep to create a back three, allowing Mendes to push high. Monaco go man-to-man across the pitch. Zaïre-Emery and Dro are closely followed. Out-wide Kvaratskhelia’s run is marked by Vanderson, which leaves Mendes free. Kehrer needs to jump to prevent PSG’s rotations from creating a free man. However, note PSG will later target this area with greater effect when Teze is on the pitch. 

Monaco lead

Monaco switched between a high press and a 5-4-1 low block. PSG struggled to create opportunities in the first half when Les Monégasques settled into their lower shape. PSG were forced intoa U-shape and were unable to shift Monaco out of position and create clear entrances into the box. PSG were better when they were able to coax Monaco out of containment and into a press, by recycling possession, and then quickly shifting gear and hitting the spaces created as Monaco pushed up the pitch. 

PSG were also helped by the visitors being forced into an early change when Vanderson picked up an injury following his challenge on Mendes. He was replaced by Jordan Teze. Following the substitution, Les Parisiens looked to frequently attack down Teze’s channel. The Dutchman doesn’t have the same explosivity as Vanderson in recovery, and PSG looked to slip runners down Monaco’s right during the first half to expose this weakness. 

However, it was Monaco who would open the scoring. An unforced turnover from Dro allowed Monaco a throw-in around the halfway line. Monaco tried to move up to the byline, where Balogun lost possession to Zaïre-Emery. The midfielder’s options were limited by Monaco shifting into a counterpress. Zaïre-Emery opted to carry the ball laterally into the box, where he was dispossessed. Balogun held the ball long enough for Akliouche to take control and fire home. 

22nd minute: PSG recycle possession back to the backline, triggering Monaco to shift out of their low block and into a high press. Doué drags Teze high up the pitch, while Kvaratskhelia forces Kehrer wide. Mendes infiltrates the space and positions himself ready for the pass from Kvaratskhelia. 

Drop back and defend

Monaco were again forced into a change early in the second half after Caio Henrique was injured in a duel with Kvaratskhelia. Pocognoli swapped the wing-back with Christian Mawissa and also used the opportunity to bring on Aleksandr Golovin for Bamba. Golovin’s first touch of the ball would be a goal as he took advantage of another PSG defensive mix-up, when Vitinha teed up the Russian international inside the box. 

Faced with a two-goal deficit, Luis Enrique looked to his bench to bring some life into what had been an insipid performance from the league leaders. Doué, Kvaratskhelia, and Dro made way for Senny Mayulu, Lee Kang-in, and Ousmane Dembélé. The difference was almost night and day as PSG began a sustained period of dominance on the ball that kept Monaco locked within a defensive position in their final third. 

In part, PSG were helped by the game state. Monaco were encouraged by the scoreline to give up on pressing PSG high up the pitch and instead focus their efforts on defending. At times, this would see every man behind the ball, but more often than not, Balogun would remain high so that they had a release valve to escape being put under constant pressure until the end of the game. In the 71st minute, Barcola finished off an incisive run from Hakimi to help PSG claw one back as they took advantage of Monaco’s increased passivity. 

71st minute: PSG’s build-up to their goal. Vitinha carries the ball out of the defensive line and into the center circle. His progress eventually closed down at this point. He passes to Hakimi, who is free. Dembélé makes a run, opening space for Hakimi to attack the now vacated area. Note that Monaco are focused on their defensive shape rather than pressing. 

The door swings shut

It would take only a couple of minutes for Monaco to restore the two-goal lead. The visitors were high up the pitch following a corner and counterpressed after losing possession near the byline. The ball was shifted centrally to Balogun, who fired from outside the box. His long-range effort took a deflection off Mendes to trick Safonov. Despite having let in three goals, the Russian goalkeeper had done little wrong to convince Luis Enrique that Chevalier should be back in the frame. 

Luis Enrique would take off Zaïre-Emery and bring on Gonçalo Ramos for the last quarter of an hour as he attempted to rescue the evening. There was a more orthodox look to the attack, but no change to the shape of the team with Barcola and Dembélé flanking Ramos, while Mayulu and Lee joined Vitinha in midfield. Pocognoli responded by taking off Balogun and Akliouche and putting on Mika Biereth and Sunderland loanee Simon Adingra. 

Out of the substitutions, Pocognoli’s came closest to making the difference as Biereth combined with Adingra in the 88th minute. Adingra managed to use his tricky feet to create some separation from Vitinha and then fired goalwards. His shot beat Safonov, but clattered off the crossbar. An opportunity to kill the game, but one that ultimately didn’t matter as PSG were unable to turn around the scoreline in the little time that remained. 

Takeaways

For PSG, this was a golden chance to maintain their lead at the top of the table. However, with RC Lens set to play bottom-of-the-table FC Metz its expected that their lead will drop from four points to one by the end of the weekend. This wasn’t the kind of preparation that Luis Enrique would have hoped for coming into a crucial two-legged tie against Chelsea FC in the Champions League Round of 16. 

Monaco are once again PSG’s bogey team in Ligue 1. Pocognoli has not always managed to get things spot on during his time in the Principality, but he has figured out a way to set his team up to disrupt the league’s best side. Les Monégasques are now on a seven-game unbeaten streak in the league, and climbed to fifth in the table, level on points with Lille OSC and Stade Rennais, albeit both will play on Sunday and have a chance to leapfrog the Principality. 

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