Champions League day. Big day. Tonight, at the Parc des Princes, Barça and PSG will begin a tie that has absolutely all the ingredients to be a great show. A duel that will begin to clarify who will be in the semifinals of the highest European competition. And the blackboard will have a lot to say. Here my keys for this great meeting:
The first point goes, without a doubt, through the tactical duel on the benches. And even more so, after the statements in the press conferences. The Blaugrana’s tactical improvement in recent weeks will come up against one of the best coaches on the international scene and a specialist in surprising on the scoreboard. Luis Enrique’s latest strategic move is to place Ousmane Dembelé. And the former Barça coach has always had a non-negotiable idea, a fixed system, but many tactical nuances within it. But Xavi knows it better than anyone. They were teammates and, later, he had him as a coach. And he has two options, strengthen what Barça has been doing well in recent games or apply some unexpected variant. We must not rule out some surprises in the Barça eleven. The tie will begin to be decided from off the pitch.
It will be a match in which there will be spaces behind the rival’s defense. And even more so today. This is a factor that Barça has to exploit but they have to know how to do it positively. A favorable sector will be the left side of the Barça attack. And Luis Enrique’s team has a low capital: that of Achraf Hakimi. Probably the second most sensitive loss that the Parisian team could have after that of Mbappé. I replace him, whoever it is, or it won’t be. There, Barça can find the easiest way to go deeper. Raphinha and Cancelo, a priori, have a lot to say tonight.
If there is something that identifies Luis Enrique’s teams, it is the voracity they have in pressing after losing the ball in the opponent’s field. And PSG is no exception. Those close to him launch themselves into the ball zone without hesitation. That means that all offensive players forget about their mark for a few seconds and that is where the key is. That will require a lot of speed and clarity but if Barça is able to link up with the opposing interior before the Parisian team’s players intercept that pass, it will completely break Luis Enrique’s team. From there, quick attacks will be very favorable and, whenever achieved, with superiority. It is not an easy maneuver but quite the opposite. Because it requires speed and precision in decision-making but, there is no doubt, it will be somewhat easier if Barça already has goals in this previously projected concept.
Without a doubt, a large part of the tie will happen because Kilian Mbappé cannot have the impact he usually has in games. There are already goals in Ligue 1 matches and in eight Champions League matches. To do this, the entire Barça will have to be brilliant without the ball and act collectively. There are circumstances that will be impossible to control but there are other details to take into account. MBappé is unstoppable in space so it will be essential for the Blaugranas to press the first two passes very quickly and, above all, avoid the long pass towards him. It is a priority that he receives in static than in the race. When the first thing happens, there must be help on the marker but you have to know that it is also unreachable when he starts from a standstill. So it will be better if the teammate’s help is from behind and not on one side yet and that the Frenchman faces from the wing. Perhaps the best thing would be to place Koundé nearby so that Araujo can come to the aid (he will be more important). Finally, we must also highlight Mbappé’s effectiveness in finishing. He is a footballer who makes very few mistakes in situations before a goal. Especially with the right. So it will be capital that he focuses on his left leg when he intervenes in the final third. With his non-skilled leg (left) he is still very good but low efficiency. These small details can be the difference between passing or not passing the eliminatory of these quarters.
It is evident that Kilian Mbappé is the biggest danger of the Parisian team. But there are more elements that Barça will have to pay attention to. The first of them, a well-known and very destabilizing footballer: Ousmane Dembelé. The former Barça player is a piece highly valued by Luis Enrique and has played in several positions. He usually plays wide as a right winger but has also played on the left and even as a false nine. The latter was the position that he occupied against Real Sociedad and with which he completely destabilized the Imanol Alguacil. Even though he has only accumulated one goal so far, he is completing an excellent campaign. And he generates many actions and danger. With seven goal assists he is the top assister in Ligue 1 and has another one in the Champions League. In addition, he is the second top dribbler in the French championship. Barça will have to be very good at stopping him in transitions as well as very attentive to give help to Koundé or Cancelo depending on who marks him. Also highlight Vitinha. A top-level midfielder who is growing day by day. At 24 years old, he is playing his best football and is reaching his highest peak of the season. A fixture for the French team.
