Tactical Analysis: How five-star PSG demolished Inter Milan to clinch their maiden Champions League trophy
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
PSG have finally managed to exorcise the ghosts of the past and clinched their maiden Champions League title despite losing Kylian Mbappe last summer.
The French giants demolished their opposition, Inter Milan, by a scoreline of 5-0, breaking Real Madrid’s record for the biggest winning margin ever in a Champions League final.
With this historic win, Luis Enrique's men completed a historic treble– having won the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France trophy before their UCL triumph, becoming the first club from France to achieve this historical feat.
The Parisians had spent over a decade trying to win the UCL by assembling star-studded squads with players like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva and many more.
However, since appointing Enrique, the club abandoned its previous model and switched to a more strategic, team-building process which led to them targeting signings like Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bradley Barcola, who are great talents but do not come with the big baggage of “ego” that PSG’s previous megastars came with.
PSG vs Inter Milan Tactical Analysis: How Luis Enrique crafted a trap to hunt down Internazionale
Luis Enrique had studied Inter Milan like a book and came fully prepared for this crucial final, because of which he and his players managed to create history at Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday.
The French giants began pressing high up the pitch from the very first minute of the game, which had the Italians pinned in their own half, unable to generate any sort of momentum.
PSG also overloaded both the flanks for Inter, with bombarding runs by Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, which made life very difficult for Inter’s wing-backs Dumfries and Di Marco while also creating pressure on centre-backs Pavard, Acerbi, and Bastoni.
While Luis Enrique's men pinned down the defenders up front, midfielders Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Joao Neves did a stellar job at keeping the ball away from their opponent’s midfielders, who couldn't dictate the game at any point of the game.
The midfield masterclass from PSG in the midfield allowed them to just “walk through” the Inter midfield, with driving runs from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz allowing the Parisians to constantly pose threats to Yan Sommer’s goal.
As Inter Milan had no routes to attack, neither via the wings nor through the centre, they had to go long and try to utilise set pieces. However, it went horribly wrong.
Ultimately, PSG’s relentless counter-pressing high up the pitch throughout 90 minutes helped them gain possession even if it was lost within seconds in favourable positions. It helped Lucho's men attack rapidly and quickly, making their movements completely unpredictable, leaving their opposition in the dust.
Match statistics: PSG vs Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain had kept 60% ball possession while attempting 23 shots and 8 big chances with an xG of 3.12, whereas Inter could manage only 8 shots and one big chance with an xG of 0.49.
The European champions could've easily scored more goals on the night, and this clearly demonstrates the sheer class and quality due to which they simply tore apart the Italian giants.
The Parisians had 265 passes completed in the opposition half, more than they attempted in their own half, which shows their relentless counter-pressing and attacking prowess throughout the game.
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