How PSG's new high-pressing, rotation-heavy system is dominating Europe – and how you can replicate it in FM24!
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Kylian Mbappé's departure from PSG, in the summer just gone by, brought to an end PSG's recent 'Galactico Era', an era which once saw them line-up with a front three containing three of the greatest players in the world: Mbappé, Neymar and Messi. The Frenchman's departure, however, also signalled the beginning of a new era at the club where younger, hungrier and more hard-working talent would emerge from the shadows of Mbappé's individual brilliance.
Under the guidance of Luis Enrique, PSG's likable, younger group are firing on all cylinders, and their victory against 2023 Champions League Winners Man City, and an impressive two-legged victory over probable Premier League champions Liverpool, have many people speculating whether this may just be the Parisian's year to break their Champions League duct.
In this article, I'll be providing my brief analysis of the tactics used by Enrique's PSG, before showcasing my recreation of said tactics in Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the results achieved using the tactics in testing. Firstly, let's look at the core principles of the tactic.
Constant Rotations
When watching PSG this season, I have simply sat and watched in complete awe as my eyes would feast upon their tactical buffet. These rotations are most frequently in the forward and midfield lines, although, there have been times where a midfielder has dropped to accommodate one/both full-backs rotating higher. The sheer volume of rotations makes PSG very difficult to mark and press, as they're always one rotation away from escaping the press and attacking with ease.
After they survived an early storm at Anfield in their 0-1 win against Liverpool, PSG's rotations and almost constant movement regularly saw them beat Liverpool's high-press and escape into attacking areas; Ousmane Dembele was a particular beneficiary of said movement, as he effectively created his own goal thanks to a well-timed dropping movement, followed by a well-weighted through ball into Barcola, who would return the favour to Dembele who'd fortuitously give the Parisians a crucial lead.
READ ALSO: Football Manager Guide to Rotating Tactics
Intense High-Press
Back in the 'Galactico Era' for PSG, especially in games where they would start Mbappé, Neymar and Messi, the team would struggle to press high due to their talented attack either being unable, or unwilling, to press high.
Additionally, if PSG would defend in a lower block, these attackers weren't too keen on dropping deeper to help their team defend. This would, at times, leave a defensive formation resembling a 7-0-3 and, whilst in Ligue 1 few teams would punish them, the UEFA Champions League teams would rarely make mistake in brutally punishing them.
Now, despite the clear talent on paper has left, PSG have created one of the most complete, exciting and talented frontlines in Europe in Barcola, Kvaratskhelia and Dembele, and this has also had an impact on PSG defensively as they're a much better, more cohesive and compact unit than before with every player willing to press high, at least good in duels and has the stamina to keep going.
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Let's Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
When PSG have the ball, they immediately look to build out from the back using their back four. Vitinha is crucial in their build-up, as he'll regularly drop deep to receive the ball and looks to dictate the tempo of the game from deep. PSG focus a lot of their possession in slightly wider areas, looking to create wide diamonds as a mean of progression.
They prioritise shorter passes, and the tempo of their possession depends on the game situation. The culmination of a prolonged sequence of shorter passes is often a through ball into an attacker making a run in-behind if PSG have dragged the opposition high.
If the opposition are camped in their own half, PSG will show immaculate patience as they methodically try and work the ball into the box/into potential cut-back scenarios. Finally, when PSG have the ball, their players are given licence to roam from their positions and rotate with teammates.
In Transition
When PSG lose the ball, they will immediately swarm the opposition in a counter-pressing attempt to regain possession. If successful, whether immediately or later, their players will assess the game situation before deciding whether to launch a counter-attack or retain possession and initiate build-up. From goal-kicks, Donnarumma usually plays short passes to a centre-back alongside him, or a diagonal switch out to a full-back.
Out of Possession
When PSG don't have possession for prolonged periods, they will look to press high and force the opposition backwards; Their high-press is backed up by a very high line, allowing PSG to remain vertically compact as a unit. When pressing high, PSG aren't afraid to be aggressive in their duels and will regularly get stuck in to challenges and duels. Finally, when the opposition are building out from the back, PSG will always try and force the opposition's 'keeper/defenders into long-balls.
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Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Support
When PSG have the ball, Donnarumma doesn't hold a major responsibility to offer himself as a passing option/engage in build-up, however, when the ball is passed to him, he will often take risks with the ball at his feet.
This was seen early in PSG's 0-1 win against Liverpool, as Donnarumma disregarded Luis Diaz' press and bypassed him with a ball into Marquinhos which just shaved the Colombian winger's legs, showcasing admirable bravery with the ball at his feet.
When PSG don't have the ball, Donnarumma will regularly leave his goal-line to either sweep up loose balls or to collect/punch away crosses into the box. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable. No added instructions.
Full-Back – Attack
Hakimi has a pretty unique role in this system, where he can situationally choose whether to invert slightly and attack the half-spaces or hold a wider position, and he will make his choice depending on the positioning of the attacker ahead of him.
If the winger ahead is holding the width, Hakimi will invert into the right half-space and if the winger is sitting narrower, Hakimi will hold the width instead. Fortunately, the 'Full-Back' role on the 'Attack' duty reflects this flexibility almost perfectly in-game, as I observed himself and the right-winger regularly chopping and changing on the right-side.
When Hakimi gets the ball, he'll often go on driving runs with the ball and the destination of said runs are primarily into wider, cut-back areas. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Ball-Playing Defender – Defend
Marquinhos' role in this system is generally quite simple, as he mainly focuses on defending. When in possession, however, the Brazilian is quite progressive with his passing and can often break the lines with a penetrative pass. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
Central Defender – Defend
Pacho's role in this system is even more basic, as he mainly focuses on his defensive work. When in possession, he will mostly give the ball to the more progressive Marquinhos or Vitinha, or into the wide area for Nuno Mendes to receive. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable. No added instructions.
Wing-Back – Defend
Nuno Mendes' flexibility in this system is intriguing, as he can go from forming a back-three with Marquinhos and Pacho to moving high and wide/inverted. I have found the 'Wing-Back' role on the 'Defend' duty replicates these movements particularly well in previous tactics, so I fell back onto it as a solution again, with the added instruction of 'Sit Narrower' to encourage Mendes to form the back-three at times:
Regista – Support
When watching PSG this season, I have been most impressed with Vitinha who has been incredible. He's probably the closest in the modern game to the classic, short Regista prototype, reminiscent of an older Andrea Pirlo, and that's been reflected in his role in this system as he is PSG's central metronome in possession.
When PSG have possession, he regularly makes himself available as a passing option as he looks to dictate the tempo of the game. On some occasions, however, Vitinha will drift higher and it's in these moments where one of Neves or Fabian, usually the former, will drop to rotate with him. This unpredictability, within a controlled environment, makes PSG's midfielders very difficult to keep up with, meaning most teams will concede possession at will.
With the ball at his feet, Vitinha can either use his audacious passing ability and vision to slice through the lines of the opposition, or can use his silky dribbling to carve through the heart of the opposition. Finally, when PSG don't have possession, Vitinha, as with his midfield partners, will mark the opposition very tightly and tackle harder. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Box-to-Box Midfielder – Support
João Neves' role in this system is the epitome of the term 'box-to-box' thanks to his incredible stamina and unrelenting movement. If, as aforementioned, Vitinha moves higher, Neves can drop deeper at times to rotate with his follow Portuguese. But, equally so, Neves can push higher and sometimes hold a temporary unorthodox striker position, especially if Dembele rotates deeper.
Like his Portuguese compatriot, Neves has excellent dribbling and ball-carrying capabilities and can often put these talents to good use in possession. Lastly, Neves can use his good vision and passing ability to find attackers running in-behind. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:
Central Midfielder – Support
Fabian performs a slightly similar job to Neves, however, there are a few nuances that creates differentiation between their respective roles. Firstly, unlike Neves, Fabian will often position himself in the half-spaces on the left side, which asks questions of the opposition's defence. Additionally, Fabian will often get further forward as a third-man runner, resulting in him being a box-crasher at times.
Like Neves and Vitinha, Fabian has a very high technical level and a passing range and vision to match, meaning he will often play balls in-behind for the attackers to chase. Lastly, he'll also roam from his position in order to initiate positional rotations in midfield. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:
Inverted Winger – Support
The player in this position, whether it's Kvaratskhelia, Dembele or Barcola, is allowed total positional freedom, as with the other attacking positions. The player in this position will position himself in tandem with Hakimi's positioning at right-back, creating different angles for attacks and passes. When the ball is in the final third, this attacker will sit narrower to play alongside his attacking team-mates.
There is a clear pattern of play with Barcola and his team-mates out wide, where he'll hold the width before making a run in-behind to receive a through ball. Once in the position to do so, he cuts the ball across to Dembele for a tap-in, and so I've tried to replicate this pattern with the instructions 'Get Further Forward' and 'Cross Aim Centre'. Finally, both wingers in this system marks their opposing full-back – in this case, the opposing left-back. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instructions:
Inside Forward – Attack
The same aforementioned pattern of play has been replicated on the left side with the inclusion of the same two player instructions. The left-winger, in this system, is more likely to hold the width on the left side, and that's reflected in the 'Stay Wider' instruction. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
False 9 – Support
Ousmane Dembele struggled in his time at FC Barcelona from a right-wing position, and under Luis Enrique at PSG this season, he has been used in an unexpectedly beneficial false 9 role which has seen the Frenchman accumulate 35 G/A so far this season.
In this position, Dembele drops into the channels and in between the lines which drags out opposition centre-backs – this movement can initiate positional rotations among the front three. Finally, Dembele tends to lead PSG's high-press, and this is reflected in the 'Close Down More' instruction. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
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Results
Ligue 1
In the league, we were phenomenal as we won the league UNBEATEN! In fact, we only dropped points on ONE occasion. Of the 34 league games, we won 33 games and drew the other one, losing no games. We ended up scoring 115 goals, averaging 3.38 goals per game, whilst only conceding 18 goals, averaging just over 0.5 goals conceded per game.
Domestic Cups
Our first silverware of the season came in the Trophée des Champions, where we beat AS Monaco 3-2 in a tense final. We would make it a treble in the Coupe de France, as we beat Lyon 1-0 in a dominant performance in the final. On our way to the final, we beat Aubagne FC, RC Lens, FC Lorient, Nancy and Troyes. But would we make it a legendary quadruple by breaking our European duct in the UEFA Champions League?
UEFA Champions League
We would, and in style! A classy performance in the final culminated in a 0-2 win over Manchester City to secure PSG's first ever Champions League title. On our way to the final, we beat RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa 1-4, 1-5 and 1-4 again on aggregate respectively.
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Conclusion
PSG have been pretty exemplary this season, and as we approach the business end of the season and PSG turn over strong opponent after strong opponent, there's no reason why the Parisians can't win their first UEFA Champions League title this year.
In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of their tactics under Luis Enrique this season and have showcased my recreation of their tactics on Football Manager 2024, before demonstrating the results said tactics achieved in testing.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
