PSG dominate Inter in Champions League final with a combination of pressing and dribbling – The Conventional Playmaker
Inter Milan endured a massacre. A 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, seeing them set the record for the heaviest defeat in a Champions League final, and lose their second final in three years. PSG, on the other hand, earned their first Champions League title, following a spectacle defined by the Parisian’s bounty of dribblers, and Inter’s lack of any.
Although a very good side in their own right, Inter were second best on the night, being completely outplayed. They simply did not turn up, with Nicolas Barella going as far to say that their opponents wanted it more. Unlike in previous knockout ties, Inter were not able to assert themselves, with PSG controlling the rhythm of the match, and in contrast to Inter, PSG boasted dribblers who worked as part of a cohesive unit, but could alter the course of the match with their individual threat.
PSG’s mobile, tricky attackers pressed high up the pitch against Inter’s back three, and tracked back if Inter looked to move the ball down the flanks. This, as well as the nearest PSG player sticking tight to midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, meant Inter were forced to play long balls as a result, many of which led to loss of possession. Typically, Inter are excellent in deeper phases of play, rotating and moving the ball around to outwit the opposing press, But PSG were clinical in their press, led from the front by Dembele. So without the ball, PSG still controlled the match.
And with it, they were devastating. PSG’s first two goals came in the opening 20 minutes, and following attacks down the left with a forward isolating a defender and dribbling inside. The first saw Vitinha spread the ball out wide on the left to Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. The winger quickly dribbled at his marker and towards the penalty-area, before relaying the ball to Fabian Ruiz. Ruiz returned the ball to Vitinha, who slipped through Desire Doue, who had found a pocket of space in the box. Doue laid the ball off to Hakimi, who had motored into the box from right-back, and was there to convert form close range.
PSG’s attackers dribbled, and combined again for the second. Kvaratskhelia led a counter-attack from deep on the left flank. He fired a ball to Ousmane Dembele, who had drifted wide himself. From there, Dembele dribbled forward whilst Inter tried to regroup, and regain their shape at the back. Dembele’s dribbling forced Francesco Acerbi to retreat closer to goal, with Dembele then having time to switch the ball across the box to Doue on the opposite side. Doue’s shot was not blocked entirely by Federico Dimarco, with it only deflecting off of the wing-back, and into Inter’s goal.
Doue was the star performer in the final. He scored a thrilling second to increase the deficit to three in the second-half, and alongside Dembele, and Kvaratskhelia, made PSG so effective going forward. Rotations up front saw Doue move from wide right to wide left, and even found himself popping up in central areas. Fluidity in the final-third paired seamlessly with terrific wing-play and combinations, which meant it was easy for Luis Enrique’s side to move the ball beyond the mid-block posed by Simone Inzaghi’s Inter set-up.
Dembele provided two assists on the night, Dembele set up both Doue, and then Kvaratskhelia, playing a well-weighted pass beyond Inter’s defensive line to meet the Georgian’s run. Dembele would drop into deeper positions in midfield to receive the ball and feed runners. Varied movement made it hard for Inter’s back line, as they had no one to man-mark. The movement seemed to confuse Inter’s defenders, as Inter’s wing-backs, and centre-backs at times did not know who to pick up, and whether to push up, or drop off. Dembele was an artist, avoiding tight marking from the defenders, and playing a runner through, or outwitting the nearest man with a flick, or feint. But while he was an artist, everything he did was purposeful.
Kvaratskhelia was mostly stationed on the left flank, having started matches on the right side in previous rounds since moving from Napoli in January. Kvaratskhelia was quick to dart inside with the ball from a wide starting position, and tested goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a number of shots before eventually scoring, through this goal was created by a run between two defenders, rather than cutting inside from the left flank.
Doue was eventually replaced by Bradley Barcola, and the substitute, a threat when able to dribble at will, flummoxed Acerbi inside the box en route to narrow own missing in front of goal. Inter had made a number of changes themselves in the second-half, but matters would only get worse for them. They could not find room for their own forwards to combine, their midfield was outran, Denzel Dumfries had no joy on the right flank, and passes into runners rarely met their target.
The actions of Dembele, and company throughout the final in turn showed how a team benefits from dribbler types, who can take the game into their own hands, and to the opposition, forcing plenty of chances. These sorts of players meant PSG scored 5 goals, attempted 15 shots more than Inter, and boasted an xG of 3.12, compared to Inter’s 0.49. Although in recent seasons their recruitment has been admirable, and reaching the final twice is impressive in itself, Inter did not have that profile to look to in time of great need that could assist in their game plan . On the greatest stage in European football, this is what ultimately separated the two sides.
Football has changed a great deal over the last few decades. There are fears that a lack of freedom, and individual expression has plagued football, and will continue to do so. But PSG’s victory made it blatantly clear that there will always be a need for players who can dribble, be that to beat a press, to take on a full-back out wide, or when combining on the edge of the box. A team is always better off with the option to use a player who dribbles more often than not. Inter’s fatal flaw was that for as good as they have been in recent times, they have lacked that type of player. PSG have many of them.
Data: Fotmob
