Paris Saint-Germain – AS Monaco: Monaco Do The Double Over Toothless PSG (0-2)

Monaco manager Niko Kovać’s decision to switch to a back three made the difference in a match that saw the visitors dominate PSG without the ball. Monaco oscillated between various defensive looks and nullified a PSG attack that looked so formidable against Barcelona. 
Tactical analysis and match report by K.T. Stockwell. 

A hammering of Barcelona mid-week gave PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino the statement victory he had been looking for since he arrived in January. Kylian Mbappé was transcendent, as the reigning Ligue 1 champions leaned heavily on a stretched and disjointed Catalan defense. 

Yet there is little rest for the wicked and Paris were back home on Sunday for the tie of the domestic round against fourth place Monaco. The fixture congestion meant Pochettino adjusted his starting eleven by taking out Marco Verratti and replacing him with Ander Herrera, as well as his formation – going with a 4-3-3 shape against the principality side.

Monaco has been one of Ligue 1’s most in-form teams over the past several months with their performances pushing them into title contention. Manager Niko Kovać has stayed true to a 4-4-2 formation, while making the most of the depth in his squad.

Against PSG, however, the Croatian moved to a very fluid 3-4-2-1 formation, which saw Axel Disasi join Benoît Badiashile and Guillermo Marípan in central defense. Ruben Aguilar and Caio Henrique filled in at wing-back, alongside stalwart midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Wesley Fofana. Sofiane Diop and Kevin Volland played behind striker Wissam Ben Yedder . . .