Paris Saint-Germain – OGC Nice: A Tale Of Two Presses (2-3)

After two comfortable victories before the international break, you could be forgiven for thinking everything was back to normal for Paris Saint-Germain, but OGC Nice were there to remind them of their problems. A game defined by two managers obsessed with pressing… and only one team that seemed to know how to implement that vision. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

The arrival of Francesco Farioli as Nice manager was met with some fanfare from the league, with his first game in charge scheduled as the season opener. There was an expectation brought about by those who had followed his young career closely, a feeling that Nice had someone incredibly exciting on board, a prodigious manager who developed attacking football in the mould of Roberto De Zerbi. 

If Farioli was meant to shake up Nice, then someone forgot to inform him, with the manager largely looking to build on the platform he inherited and introduce his ideas gradually rather than tear up what came before him. Farioli kept the 4-3-3 shape used by his predecessors Lucien Favre and Didier Digard and carried on their defensive efforts, by utilizing the second-best defense in the league last season, as his side have conceded only twice so far. 

A sterner test to that defense was sure to be waiting as PSG welcomed Nice to the Parc des Princes. The Luis Enrique era finally kicked into gear for PSG before the international break with emphatic victories over

Get access to this article and all other quality content of Between the Posts!

Membership Plans

Already a member? Log in