Paris Saint-Germain continued its impressive start to the season under the orders of Luis Enrique by winning 3-1 against Rennes at the Parc des Princes. If Julien Stéphan, coach of Rennes, recognizes the Parisian domination, he was keen to praise the quality of the game deployed by PSG, in particular their ability to punish opposing errors on long transitions.
Sparkling collective mastery
The match showed PSG in full control, both technically and in terms of intensity. Luis Enrique’s team was able to take advantage of Rennes’ losses of ball to strike on the counter-attack. “They have formidable counter-pressing”admitted Stéphan, who had decided to press high to try to thwart the Parisian momentum. But faced with the quality of the Parisians in duels and their ability to eliminate several players at once, the Breton team was quickly overwhelmed.
Long transitions that make the difference
PSG, well organized in defense and solid in the recovery phases, knew how to use long transitions to exploit the spaces left by Rennes. On several occasions, the Parisians managed to get ahead of the opposing defense, taking advantage of errors in the last 30 meters of Rennes. Stéphan himself recognized Parisian efficiency in these actions: “PSG punished long transitions and took advantage of our ball losses, which were fatal.”
A relentless Parisian dry cleaner
The collective work of the Parisians, particularly in recovering the ball, put the Rennes defense to the test. Stéphan could only note the effectiveness of the Parisian pressing, emphasizing that defending too low against this team would have been even riskier. Luis Enrique was able to establish a playing philosophy where each loss of the ball is immediately exploited to maintain constant pressure on the opponent.
Magicians on the ground
Julien Stéphan did not fail to salute the individual quality of certain Parisian players, whom he described as “magicians”. “They have the ability to eliminate two or three players at the same time and make incredible differences over long distances”he explained. A way of recognizing the technical superiority of PSG, whose cohesion and mastery in duels largely contributed to this success.
A PSG with confidence for the future
If Rennes was able to show some signs of life at the end of the match, PSG was able to manage its lead with serenity, even after making several changes in its squad. Luis Enrique can be delighted to have a high-performance team, both in controlling the ball and in executing transition phases, two key aspects which will be crucial for the major events to come.
