PARIS :Paris St Germain have been labelled a collection of talented individuals with little collective backbone in recent years but they have turned the corner this season and on Tuesday against Arsenal in the Champions League looked like a team with a masterplan.
The French champions secured a 1-0 win in London in the first leg of their semi-final, a result built less on star power than on tactical coherence, defensive discipline and a tireless press that choked the life out of Arsenal in the first half.
Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave PSG a lead they ultimately protected with a mixture of intelligent pressing and organised defending that had Luis Enrique’s stamp all over it.
PSG’s press was sharp and well-coordinated, forcing Arsenal into rushed passes and panicked clearances throughout the opening 30 minutes.
“This team is always competitive, we’re getting the maximum out of our qualities. We achieved a great job, individually and collectively,” Luis Enrique said.
While PSG faded physically after the break they still kept their shape, and in Gianluigi Donnarumma had a goalkeeper ready to make the key interventions when Arsenal threatened.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, brought in last summer to provide more unpredictability on the wing, was instrumental in the win.
His assist for Dembele’s goal was a product of both sharp movement and awareness, but equally valuable was his defensive discipline — dropping in to support his full back and thwarting Arsenal’s attempts to overload the flank.
Arsenal, who are second in the Premier League, struggled to find space in a congested final third.
Danger men Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were largely contained while their attempts to play through midfield were repeatedly stifled by Fabian Ruiz, Joao Neves and Vitinha.
PSG host the second leg next week.
