How the tactical battle between Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich & Thomas Tuchel's Paris Saint Germain played out in the #UCLfinal .

#PausaAnalysis [THREAD]

Despite what the score line & possession stats suggest, the #UCLFinal was a game of even chances and effective tactics. Both Hansi Flick & Thomas Tuchel deployed their strategies well, with the difference being a titanic goalkeeping effort from Manuel Neuer.

Neither side moved away from the tactics used in their respective semi-finals, though minor alterations were made by the coaches.

For Flick, it was adjusting Goretzka’s positioning such that he remained behind the ball, whereas for Tuchel, it was using Herrera to press Thiago during Bayern’s buildup.

PSG sporadically deployed a pressing trap in the first half, looking to isolate Davies & target the left flank through Mbappe’s pace & connection with Neymar. This strategy seemed to work, until Thiago began to bypass the press by dropping deeper & spreading play.

This had the effect of forcing PSG into a medium block, since Herrera could not track Thiago into deeper areas & leave Kehrer alone to face Coman. This phase saw a 433/442 block from PSG, depending on Di Maria’s positioning.

Even in this block, PSG’s def effectiveness was the result of strong halfspace protection, which snapped the connections to the wings that Bayern need to construct attacks. This is illustrated in how Coman repeatedly beat Kehrer, only to find himself without underlapping support.

However, Tuchel’s gambit of using Mbappe to attack Boateng did not pay off, due to some Manuel Neuer heroics that bailed out the defence on numerous occasions.

While Tuchel had the right idea, the physical toll from Neymar’s false 9 role was underestimated, since the playmaker couldn’t influence the game from his favoured inside left position.

With Tuchel & PSG limited by personnel deficiencies, they needed towering performances from their front three, who came close but failed to convert.

On the other hand, Bayern’s vastly superior fullback pairing showed where football is headed, as a deep cross from Kimmich saw Coman score at the far post.

Once the goal was scored, Flick & Tuchel prioritised control, as Coutinho, Verratti & Draxler came off the bench. This was Tuchel’s big mistake: Di Maria had been effective if not outstanding, & should ideally have been shifted to midfield with Choupo-Moting going up front.

With Verratti’s lack of sharpness clearly showing, Bayern held possession & circulated well, waiting for mistakes to score from while retaining the initiative to go forward & attack.

This was compounded by a strategy of fouling Neymar each time he received back to goal – a cynical but effective tactic that weakened the #10 and irked PSG to the point where they lost composure. thus failing to control the game & from there it was all but over for Les Parisiens.

Picture Credits: @iF2is & Getty.