Paris Saint-Germain – Tottenham Hotspur: A Super Cup Win to Settle the Parisians (2-2, 4-3 on Pens)

Seeking to make up for a Club World Cup that had been both bitter and sweet, Paris Saint-Germain faced another London team. Tottenham Hotspur, presenting their new identity with the arrival of Thomas Frank.

Tactical analysis and match report by Juan Lauz.

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The European season opened with a Super Cup final that confronted two very different realities after the end of the previous season. Paris Saint-Germain had arrived having won a historic treble and their first and much-anticipated UEFA Champions League, which, however, had been overshadowed by a heavy 3-0 defeat in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.

On the other hand, Tottenham Spurs had “saved” the previous season by winning the UEFA Europa League, beating a full-strength Manchester United in the final. Yet domestically, their reality had been terrible: they had finished 17th in the league, just above the relegation zone. All of this meant that, although they had secured their first international title since 1984, Ange Postecoglou had been dismissed and Thomas Frank had taken over, following his successful seven-year spell managing Brentford.

After the decision that Gianluigi Donnarumma would no longer play for Paris Saint-Germain, presumably due to contractual issues, Luis Enrique had lined up Lucas Chevalier in goal. The rest of the side maintained PSG’s usual 4-3-3: Willian Pacho and Marquinhos as the central pair, with Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi completing the back four; in midfield, with Joao Neves absent, Vitinha took the pivot, and Desiree Doué and Warren Zaire-Emery played as interior midfielders. Up front, Bradley Barcola was on the left wing and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia on the right, with Ousmane Dembélé as a false nine.

Frank, in his first official match managing the London side, had set up a line of five defenders: Cristian Romero alongside stoppers Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso, with wing-backs Djed Spence and Pedro Porro. To match numerically against the PSG midfield trio, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, and Joao Palhinha had lined up. Mohammed Kudus acted as a quasi-link behind a solitary Richarlison at the tip of the attack.

Clash of Styles

It was a clash of contrasts: Luis Enrique’s positional control versus Thomas Frank’s fierce verticality. For much of the night, the new Spurs coach had seemed to have found the perfect formula to stop the Parisian giant… until it all collapsed within minutes.

Tottenham had started with a compact mid-block inside their 5-3-2 formation, designed to close the interior lines and guide the opponent’s build-up towards the flanks, using the touchline as an extra defender. Pape Matar Sarr acted as the defensive metronome, constantly covering width and occupying the spaces between the lines, while the wing-backs executed their coverages perfectly whenever PSG tried to connect full-back and winger vertically.

Minute 12′ Sideline trap. Frank’s team manages to deactivate the usual vertical pass from full-back to winger by the Parisians (Kvara uses his strong lower body to absorb pressure), using the touchline as an extra defender, guiding PSG’s build-up toward the flank and forcing individual match-ups from there.

In attack, the plan had been simple: win the ball and send it immediately to Richarlison. The Brazilian had played a self-sufficient game, battling against both center-backs, bringing the ball down and laying it off to teammates. He had timed his runs intelligently to avoid the offside trap and stretched PSG every time the team regained possession.

Even so, the merit lay in both aggression and precision: Spurs had prevented PSG from connecting third-man combinations thanks to individual match-ups and well-coordinated marking switches.

PSG, accustomed to flowing in their 4-3-3 with constant rotations, ran into a problem: Dembélé, used as a false nine, could not receive between the lines and instead dropped too deep, behind the ball. Doué and Zaire-Emery tried to drop to provide support, but there was always a Spurs midfielder on their heels. Parisian discomfort was evident: they struggled to progress, and when they did, the London structure closed every path.

Minute 26′ Maintain control in midfield. Tottenham does not launch individual chases in the central channel, but applies effective marking switches while keeping their block solid, only allowing zone exits for their three defenders, especially monitoring Dembele’s false nine position. In this way, and given the numerical equality in midfield (3v3 or 4v4), PSG is forced into direct play.

In that scenario, Mohammed Kudus emerged as a key figure with the ball for Tottenham. His upper-body strength and ability to shield the ball allowed him to retain possession and trigger transitions, as well as collect loose balls and clash with anyone in his way. In a match designed to minimize defensive exposure, having someone capable of pausing and deciding with precision had been a luxury for the London coach.

Tottenham passmap: Kudus’ influence amid Richarlison’s isolation.

Frank’s Mastery

The reward came before half-time. A free kick from their own half, executed as a set play to the flank, ended with a rebound that Van de Ven sent into the net. It was no coincidence: PSG had struggled with every direct ball. Romero, Van de Ven, Kudus, and Richarlison had turned simplicity into a lethal weapon. Spurs had not chased desperately; they defended in zones, measured their duels, and simplified defensive tasks.

Just after the restart, Tottenham struck again. Another set-piece, another PSG marking error, and this time Cristian Romero appeared to head in the 2–0. The Argentine center-back, whose jumping ability is almost superhuman, rarely scores headers; but in Udine, his accuracy had been surgical.

Up to that point, the work of the wing-backs had been outstanding: narrowing the field, forcing Kvaratskhelia to play with his back to goal, and closing inside lanes with the help of the midfielders to create 2v1 superiority. Kvara, with the little ball he touched, could only drive deep to push back the opposing full-back and center-back to gain meters. But PSG could not find the key.

Minute 56′ Avoid 1v1s on the flank, or at least manage them. Tottenham’s work on the wide and interior channels is commendable. They narrow the field and force, for example, Kvara to receive with his back to goal in 3v4 situations or manage his actions in 1v1s (considering his skillful dribbling that can break blocks). The support from the interior midfielders to create 2v1 superiority and close the half-space, accounting for potential threats from Doué or Zaire-Emery, is also incredible.

When Legs Ran Out…

The problem for Tottenham came when the clock and fatigue started to weigh. The defensive focus that had been impeccable for sixty minutes began to falter. PSG pushed their block higher, Kvara and Dembélé found more turns, and the support from the London midfielders arrived a second too late. The 2–1 was a direct consequence of that accumulated pressure, with a long-range shot converted by Kang In Lee. And the equalizer, just minutes later, was the final blow: Spence and Van de Ven were too far apart, Dembélé’s cross was defended with awkward body positioning, and the Parisian finish by Goncalo Ramos (who had also come off the bench) punished the disorganization.

What followed was even more painful for Spurs. In the penalty shoot-out, they initially had the advantage after scoring the first and with Vitinha missing his for PSG; however, despite Rodrigo Bentancur converting his penalty, Spurs missed the third and fourth, while the Parisians scored. The fourth, a careless attempt by Tel, seemed to close the circle of frustration. They had been ten minutes away from toppling the European champions and ended up empty-handed.

Takeaways

At its core, the story of the final can be told as one of a plan executed with tactical excellence and defensive commitment, yet sunk by a lack of control in possession. For over an hour, Tottenham had known how to unsettle PSG, cut their usual pathways, and maximize direct play through Richarlison and Kudus. But when possession did not appear to provide breathing space, the structure began to crack. PSG, patient and relentless, found the spaces that had not existed before, and their talent did the rest.

Ultimately, it was a double lesson: a disciplined, aggressive block could neutralize even the very best, but that resistance, without the ability to string together three passes, was always at risk of collapsing. Tottenham had mastered the first part of the equation; PSG had mastered the second. And it was the second that decided the trophy.

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