RC Lens – Paris Saint-Germain: Three points for PSG through sheer hierarchy (1-2)
A regular performance by the Parisians was enough for them to take all three points from a tough away ground, although they should have been concerned about their positional play during the first half, lacking interior play despite playing without a natural center forward.
Tactical analysis and match report by Juan Lauz.
Since their promotion to Ligue 1 in the 2019/2020 season, RC Lens had not stopped having strong campaigns in the league, regularly fighting for European spots and even competing for the title in 2023. Despite the good form that had accompanied them this year, where they were fighting for a place in Europe again, Will Still’s team changed their usual setup to play in a 5-3-2 formation.
They shared a defensive line with, from left to right, Facundo Medina, Malang Sarr, and Jonathan Gradit as central defenders; a few meters ahead, Deiver Machado on the left and Przemyslaw Frankowski on the right as wing-backs. In midfield, Adrien Thomasson played as a pivot, with Florian Sotoca and Andy Diouf as the central midfielders. Up front, Goduine Koyalipou and M’Bala Nzola played as the forwards.
Paris Saint-Germain wanted to seal the league title before the end of January and aimed to do so by winning at the difficult ground of RC Lens. After five consecutive wins in Ligue 1, Luis Enrique shook things up a bit by changing his usual 4-3-3 formation, setting up in a 3-4-3 with Lucas Hernández as LCB, Lucas Beraldo as RCB, and Willian Pacho in the center of defense. Vitinha and Fabián Ruíz shared the midfield, with Nuno Mendes and . . .
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