Tuesday 22 February 2022

MY TAKE ON PSG VS REAL MADRID.

 real madrid played psg in the ucl . before i write about the game let me respond to the news and opinions about the game. i was reading daily mailand they gave messi just 3 points for his performance . there are idiots that are sitting in the tv studios and same ones that are writing articles in the print media. these people dont understand the game and are idiots to the core . they dont understand the game . this is my 200th post . i think i had said and i will say it now that when you make tactics then at that time you do have to take into consideration the player at hands,the opposition and their player their strengths and weakness and then you have to derive the tactics but that is just the preliminary aspect because you have to keep it improvising it on the field and that is why the manager is there on the touchlines to do that . when messi is given a 3 by these geniuses but did they question the tactics that are deployed by the psg coach . you have to take into account not just messi's performance but also the performance of the other players in the team. the other thing the game was just boring but the commentators called it very tactical which is just hopeless. what about the tactics and the peformance of the team and its players . yes messi is a special one but everybody knows that he has lost  a yard or two of his pace but he still has that vision and passing ability which makes him special . i was wondering as to why there no questions asked about pochettino's tactics and his style of play . i never heard that nor did i heard anybody questioning ancelotti tactics which  were awful .to be honest in the last few years since he has left ac milan his desire and that killing mentality is not there . he accepts that he is beaten by a better and there is not much fight in his team which is needed by a top level coach . 


psg started the game with 4-4-2 . people may say its 4-3-3 yes mbappe was there alongside di maria messi but when they were defending he was defending the left flank and covering up his fullback . madrid too started with the same 4-3-3 formation but they played like a 4-5-1 . the game started with madrid sitting back and playing on the counter attack and it was very correct since they were playing a team who had mbappe and messi in it . messi may had lost the pace but his passing ability is second to none .if play a high line then you have players like mbappe and di maria who can exploit those spaces . now psg are primarily coached to be a counter attacking team . if you had seen then pochettino's team are counter attacking team . they are not possession based team . messi was in no.10 position with mbappe and di maria alongside him. psg lacked the cohesion that is required to open up a good defense . madrid were not going to allow them to have space near the box . they were drilled to congest the space in the middle and let psg have space on flanks . psg's fullbacks were able to go upfield because both mbappe and di maria cut inside but they didnt had a big player in the middle to be at the end of the cross . messi lacks pace and he needs somebody upfront to play around him or somebody whom he can release behind the back four . he needs somebody to play on the defenders shoulders . in the first half he released mbappe behind the back four but he couldnt finish .


for me the problem with madrid starts with ancelotti . first off he lacks the killer instinct that top manager should have . now madrid were sitting back and were playing on the counter attack . there were several mistakes that were done by madrid when they were in ball possession . first off when you are playing on the counter attack you cannot spend time on the ball . second was that the distance between team player needs to not more than 10-12 yards so that you can play crisp passing game . when you are playing deep then you are bound to get pressed because the opposition has a space to recover even if they get oupassed . the other thing on counter attack is that you cannot spend time on the ball . when you spend time on the ball then it gives time for the opposition to press you as well get players behind the ball and they can press and dispossess you on second or third pass . even though madrid were sitting back psg were not pressing them hard since they knew that madrid had some good players who are good in one on one situations and madrid had vinicius jr who has good pace . so psg were cautious in pressing but they made sure that they pressed and congested the space and then regained possession . the other thing is that when playing counter attack you have to have a plan and the coach should be fine tuning it as per the situation but here i found ancelotti wanting since madrid were just one dimensional on their offense . first off madrid lacked a no.10 or a link up player with benzema who could combine with him . both vini jr and asensi stayed wide and the distance between them and benzema was quite a bit which allowed psg to organise themselves or press them . at times even when madrid could bring the team upfield at that time too they lakced the cohesion to open psg defense . 

at times during madrid's offese they tried to play vinicius jr behind the psg back four when benzema came deep to help madrid keep possession of the ball . but what i found lacking was that vinicus made some very poor runs . he kept on dwelling in his own zone while he should had made some very diagonal runs which would had shortened the distance between him and the ball and would had put him on the goal . i find his attitude very hopeless . most importantly ancelotti should be coaching him. he can make diagonal runs. he is supposed to make runs on the fullback and take him and thats how you create space for others because once the opposition turn their attention on you then it creates spaces for your team . most importantly there were instances in the game where on he could had diagonal runs which could had been fruitful or atleast diverted the attention and created flutter in the opposition ranks and that what you want . for me he was hopeless . his attitude is his major drawback which will be  hinder in his growth . 

psg should be playing some all star football . playing one touch football and bamboozling the opposition with their pace and passing but instead they are lacking cohesion . mbappe should be played on the shoulder of the last defender so that he can stretch the defense . 


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