Real Madrid vs PSG: French Dominance Secures Club World Cup Final Spot
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Introduction
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain played the match that defined the last finalist of the FIFA Club World Cup, and the reigning UEFA Champions League champion (and heavy favorite for today's game) emerged victorious with a 4-0 scoreline. The French team led by Luis Enrique once again proved to be the main European force and continues on the path towards the world championship.
Real Madrid came in a 4-3-2-1 formation (the same used against Borussia Dortmund), previously utilized by Xabi Alonso. In their lineup, the Spanish team combined young talents like García and Asencio with their more renowned players like Valverde and Vinicius Junior, a decision made mainly due to the high number of absences (Huijsen suspended; Endrick, Alaba and Mendy injured).
For their part, Paris Saint-Germain also repeated their 4-3-3 used against Bayern, with few direct substitutions from the last match; With Pacho suspended, Luis Enrique opted for Beraldo, and also brought back the attacking trio Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé and Barcola. Since all the team's players have good game awareness and can perform different functions, the coach can use his tactics with almost any combination of athletes.
PSG's aggressive DNA made the French team have 77% possession in the first half, suffocating Real Madrid, so the third goal seemed a matter of time, at 24 minutes Fabian Ruiz extended the score again. The Spanish team, nullified by Paris Saint-Germain, exchanged only 120 passes in the first half, against 402 from the French team. The ability to force their opponent's error is one of Luis Enrique's weapons (so much so that the first two goals come from Real Madrid's defensive errors), and this allows the Parisian midfield to play with freedom and reign over their opponents.
In the second half, the French team was slightly less dominant than in the first; PSG slowed down a bit (already concerned about the players' conditioning in a possible final), but without losing their defensive and offensive superiority, winning possession 59% to 41% and their duels 53% to 47%. This reduction in the pace of play allowed Real Madrid to propose a bit more and risk offensive plays in greater quantity.
Despite this, at 87 minutes, with Gonçalo Ramos coming off the bench in place of Dembélé (change made at 59 minutes of play), closed the account for the Paris team, scoring another goal and leaving the final score at 4-0. Even having more actions in the second half, the Spanish team could not capitalize on their chances in offensive plays on Donnarumma's goal, and ended the game without a goal.
This game shows a lot how the French team has adopted their coach's ideals and manages to apply them against any team; their aggressiveness, pressure and intensity consolidate them more and more as the main force in football, the Parisian team's dream for the last decades. The final against Chelsea could transform this dream of players, coaching staff, and most importantly: the fan's dream, into reality.
If on one hand we had a great offensive performance, we also had a great defensive performance by Paris Saint-Germain. Defensively, they had an 85% tackle rate (13) and a total of 57 ball recoveries, something that shows the great resilience of their players, led by Marquinhos, the team's captain.
PSG's ability to force defensive errors was fundamental to the result. The first two goals came from Real Madrid errors, demonstrating the effectiveness of French pressure and the defensive fragility of the Spanish team without some of their starters.
Real Madrid, despite trying to reorganize in the second half, could not overcome PSG's technical and physical superiority. The absence of important players like Endrick, Alaba and Mendy was felt, especially in build-up play and defense.
PSG's tactical flexibility, with players capable of performing multiple functions, allowed Luis Enrique to maintain the intensity and quality of the game even with substitutions.
Finally, we can expect an exciting final game in this edition of the Club World Cup. Taking into account the teams' track record in the competition, it can be said that the chance of seeing many goals in this match is high. It remains to be seen whether the English squad, which has been strengthening in recent weeks, will be able to stop this Parisian locomotive that has been running over practically everyone who crosses its path for months.
Real Madrid came in a 4-3-2-1 formation (the same used against Borussia Dortmund), previously utilized by Xabi Alonso. In their lineup, the Spanish team combined young talents like García and Asencio with their more renowned players like Valverde and Vinicius Junior, a decision made mainly due to the high number of absences (Huijsen suspended; Endrick, Alaba and Mendy injured).
For their part, Paris Saint-Germain also repeated their 4-3-3 used against Bayern, with few direct substitutions from the last match; With Pacho suspended, Luis Enrique opted for Beraldo, and also brought back the attacking trio Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé and Barcola. Since all the team's players have good game awareness and can perform different functions, the coach can use his tactics with almost any combination of athletes.
Match Summary
Given the history, many analysts and predictions imagined a balanced game between the two teams. Opta's supercomputer, in its simulations, resulted in 47.4% chances of victory for the French team, and 27.3% for the Spanish team. However, these predictions and estimates fell apart very early; at 6 minutes of play, Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain, and at 9 minutes, Dembélé changed the score again, opening 2-0 in less than 10 minutes.PSG's aggressive DNA made the French team have 77% possession in the first half, suffocating Real Madrid, so the third goal seemed a matter of time, at 24 minutes Fabian Ruiz extended the score again. The Spanish team, nullified by Paris Saint-Germain, exchanged only 120 passes in the first half, against 402 from the French team. The ability to force their opponent's error is one of Luis Enrique's weapons (so much so that the first two goals come from Real Madrid's defensive errors), and this allows the Parisian midfield to play with freedom and reign over their opponents.
In the second half, the French team was slightly less dominant than in the first; PSG slowed down a bit (already concerned about the players' conditioning in a possible final), but without losing their defensive and offensive superiority, winning possession 59% to 41% and their duels 53% to 47%. This reduction in the pace of play allowed Real Madrid to propose a bit more and risk offensive plays in greater quantity.
Despite this, at 87 minutes, with Gonçalo Ramos coming off the bench in place of Dembélé (change made at 59 minutes of play), closed the account for the Paris team, scoring another goal and leaving the final score at 4-0. Even having more actions in the second half, the Spanish team could not capitalize on their chances in offensive plays on Donnarumma's goal, and ended the game without a goal.
This game shows a lot how the French team has adopted their coach's ideals and manages to apply them against any team; their aggressiveness, pressure and intensity consolidate them more and more as the main force in football, the Parisian team's dream for the last decades. The final against Chelsea could transform this dream of players, coaching staff, and most importantly: the fan's dream, into reality.
If on one hand we had a great offensive performance, we also had a great defensive performance by Paris Saint-Germain. Defensively, they had an 85% tackle rate (13) and a total of 57 ball recoveries, something that shows the great resilience of their players, led by Marquinhos, the team's captain.
Tactical Analysis
PSG demonstrated absolute tactical superiority, controlling all aspects of the game from the start. The French team's 4-3-3 formation allowed for high and constant pressure, suffocating Real Madrid and preventing the Spanish team from establishing their game.PSG's ability to force defensive errors was fundamental to the result. The first two goals came from Real Madrid errors, demonstrating the effectiveness of French pressure and the defensive fragility of the Spanish team without some of their starters.
Real Madrid, despite trying to reorganize in the second half, could not overcome PSG's technical and physical superiority. The absence of important players like Endrick, Alaba and Mendy was felt, especially in build-up play and defense.
PSG's tactical flexibility, with players capable of performing multiple functions, allowed Luis Enrique to maintain the intensity and quality of the game even with substitutions.
Conclusion
Luis Enrique's squad, which once again lived up to the European champion title by dispatching the Merengue team without much difficulty, now faces Chelsea in the Club World Cup final. Although many believe the French team is the clear favorite for the title, Enzo Maresca's team also aims to take the trophy to London and promises to give PSG a hard time.Finally, we can expect an exciting final game in this edition of the Club World Cup. Taking into account the teams' track record in the competition, it can be said that the chance of seeing many goals in this match is high. It remains to be seen whether the English squad, which has been strengthening in recent weeks, will be able to stop this Parisian locomotive that has been running over practically everyone who crosses its path for months.
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