A clear trend in world football has been the increase in man-to-man defending, something Premier League coaches Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have stressed all season. With Luis Enrique’s team constantly moving around the pitch, opponents tasked with following their man eventually lose their player, either unintentionally or purposefully deciding to retreat when being pulled to the other side of the pitch.
This tactic, like all tactics, is dependent on player quality – which brings us back to the first quote of this piece. In an ideal world, Enrique wants 20 players who can play in all parts of the pitch, so they could replace each other’s zones without any drop off in quality.
He probably mentions 20 players rather than 11 because these tactics, including the long and intense sprints of the full-backs from their own half, to the opposition’s box and back, are taxing on the mind and body.
PSG however, have the benefit of being a better team when compared with the rest of Ligue 1 which allows them to rotate frequently. This season, Nuno Mendes has played 46% of PSG’s total league minutes which leaves him in good physical condition to perform Luis Enrique’s demanding instructions to a high level in the knockout stage of the Champions League. This is a luxury fellow Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal – who play their first leg at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday – probably cannot afford.
Luis Enrique, however, with the players at his disposal, has conjured a brilliant mix of physicality, chemistry and technique to produce one of football’s most exciting teams in recent memory.
