Champions League Performance Insights: Paris' defensive masterclass

What does it take to go to Anfield, dig deep and head home with a 1-0 win?

On the evidence of Paris Saint-Germain's round of 16 victory at Liverpool, home of the Premier League leaders and top team in the league phase of this season's UEFA Champions League, it requires a defensive masterclass.

In the following article produced by UEFA's analysis unit, working together with UEFA Technical Observer Steve Cooper and former Champions League-winning centre-back Henning Berg, we will explore the detail of Paris's defending and the lessons it offers to coaches as well as young players.

In the view of Berg, a treble winner with Manchester United in 1999, the Paris back four combined all the key components needed by elite defenders today. "The most impressive thing for me was the mobility of the defenders and ability to defend one-on-one, and also that when they were in the box their positions were very good."

But first, how they got their goal…

Before focusing on their defensive excellence, it is worth recalling how Paris got their lead on the night. After Liverpool's early storm, they had a spell in the first half where they got through the Reds' defensive lines several times.

The video above begins with the move that brought the goal from Ousmane Dembélé. It shows their rotations – between Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Vitinha – and the runs in between the lines and in behind, by Dembélé and Bradley Barcola respectively. It offers a picture of their superbly synchronised movement patterns – so often done with perfect timing.

Thanks to their clever movement patterns, Paris were able to find their attacking players between the lines – as reflected by the figures in the graphic above which show their ball receptions between the lines in Liverpool's half between the 15th minute and half-time. Dembélé is ranked first with four and this chimes with the reflection of UEFA Technical Observer Gareth Southgate in our initial post-match analysis, who noted how they "took up intelligent high positions which caused Liverpool's defenders a problem, in particular with Dembélé dropping deep to receive".

This second graphic displays Paris' runs in behind during that same 30-minute stretch of the opening period and Barcola, whose run in behind is seen in the lead-up to the goal, produced eight alone in that spell. As is seen in the second clip of the video, they did this at high speed too – witness the eight seconds between winning the ball in their own half and Barcola's attempt in the Liverpool box in clip two above.

Defending the box

For all the attacking qualities of Luis Enrique's team, the main focus of this analysis is their defensive excellence. The second video below is a montage of defending moments which illustrated the different facets of their work in achieving that clean sheet on Tuesday night.

The video begins with them covering spaces. In this first clip we see their excellent reading of situations as Willian Pacho deals impressively with the underlapping run into the box from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Next comes a fantastic example of one-on-one defending from Nuno Mendes when faced by the menace of Mohamed Salah. There are a range of details to highlight here, as Steve Cooper explained: "Mendes was very much in control in a dangerous moment. He made a good decision about where he wanted Salah to go and once Salah committed to that, he used his physical attributes – he got his foot pattern right to get in front of Salah and then had the strength to hold him off."

For another measure of Nuno Mendes' efforts at Anfield, consider this chart that shows when it came to defensive interventions from Paris players in their defensive third, he ranked joint-first with fellow full-back Achraf Hakimi (28 each).

To return to the video above, the clip of Marquinhos defending a cross into his box – the scanning, the positioning and the composure of his header to a colleague – was another action that impressed Cooper. He said: "You can talk about technique of the header but look at his body position, his awareness, his glancing, his foot position. When he gets in line with the ball he is also looking at where [Diogo] Jota is. It's a brilliant example of awareness and intelligence and instinctiveness of positioning but also the technique to get his body in the right position.

"Very rarely do you see these players in a panic mode and that comes down to game intelligence, a controlled and composed mindset."

The mentality of 'never wanting to concede'

The montage then proceeds to examples of Paris defending inside their box in the second period, when Liverpool upped the pressure. According to Henning Berg, Pacho's block from the shot by Dominik Szoboszlai shows a defender excelling at the unfancied side of the game. Though he is marking Jota, he sees the danger and gets across in time. "It's about reading the game, anticipating and having that attitude of never wanting to concede a goal," Berg observed.

The following clip offers something else as we see both Pacho and Marquinhos take turns to slow down Salah after a Liverpool counterattack, delaying the Egyptian and giving their team-mates time to get back in numbers into their penalty box.

There was plenty of data to support the positive impression made by Pacho, including the graphic above which shows that he made five clearances in his own box – a number matched only by Nuno Mendes and Vitinha.

As for their defensive interventions in the area just outside their box, Pacho is ranked highly once more with 17, alongside Hakimi – a total bettered only by Nuno Mendes (21).

Coaching tips for the modern defender

Steve Cooper, UEFA Technical Observer
"At this level you have to be a complete athlete and you definitely have to be at a certain level in every physical attribute. For example, you might have a defender who is very strong and can dominate in duels but if he is not quick enough to win foot races or turn his body, he may fall a bit short. Nuno Mendes, in the one-on-one clip with Salah, gives a great example of how these top defenders combine their physical attributes with the art, technique and tactical decision-making also needed in defending.

"It is also an example of mentality. The best defenders have the mentality that 'the attacker has the problem'. Nuno Mendes is in a defending situation against one of the best players in the world in the box and yet he makes it look like 'You've got the problem, Salah, not me'.

"It is also worth highlighting the last-ditch defending, seen with the block in the box by Pacho, for example. There is a bravery to making blocks but there is also an art to it. You shouldn't be turning your back or your head, or turning your body into a narrow position. So while a coach might say 'be brave', there is technique involved too. It's about being brave but with an idea of the best position for your body to stop the opponent. And there's decision-making too – you might slide in if you think the attacker is going to shoot across the floor, but other times you might stand up and stay big.

"As for working on defending on the training pitch, opposed practices are important for development as you automatically have attackers and defenders. The obvious thing is to put players in defending moments as often as you can. I also think technical and tactical training is crucial and would suggest setting up practices to put players in situations such as one-on-ones out wide, one-on-ones central, and two-on-twos.

"We've also talked about body position and foot patterns and the technique of when to use your body, and you can work on those things too. Often as coaches we think of technique in attacking terms. We tell players about getting their body open to receive on their back foot, for example, but it applies to defending as well – as the ball switches are you moving your body as a defender? You can be a very good technical player without the ball as well – as seen with that clip of Marquinhos.

"One final point regarding developing defenders is that if you see a player who has natural leadership attributes – be it through communication, taking responsibility, concentration or being able to make a mistake and still carry on – then develop that, work on it with the player and improve it. Leadership and character are valuable when defending and can sometimes be undervalued parts of the game."

Henning Berg, Champions League-winning defender with Manchester United
"The demands on defenders are increasing with so many teams pressing high and leaving space behind. But if young players can only defend one-on-one, they will not be as good at team play. The understanding of how to work together, to move, run and defend together is also massively important – not only staying in position but when to cover a certain area, when to step up. Aspects like team cooperation and distance between the lines are important.

"It's easier to learn one-on-one defending in some ways; the decision-making of when to do the different things is more difficult. You have to practise this with your team-mates, and I'd suggest different exercises for how to respond in different situations depending on how the opposition are attacking and the runs and movements. There are the principles of how you behave together and you have to train this with your coaches."