What went wrong in 1-0 defeat for PSG against Bayern in the finals?

Bayern, the Bundesliga giants, lift their 6th Champions league title yesterday after scoring a goal which resulted in 1-0 victory for them against PSG. Bayern easily outplayed the French league winners, having more than 60% of the possession on the field. Kingsley Coman, the young French lad, who started his youth career at PSG from 2004-13 and then senior career from 2013-14, was left for free by the Paris side. Coman came back to haunt his old team in the finals and scored the only goal that made the difference. A beautiful chip shot from Kimmich inside the box gave Koman the chance to leap and head the ball out to the far post, giving Bayern the edge to play out for the remaining 30 mins. Bayern still came aggressively forward, but some great saves from Navas and excellent defending by Bernat, Kimpembe, and Marquinhos saved PSG from a humiliating defeat. BAYERN also became the first team to win every game in a UCL season.

PSG - what went wrong?

Neymar - Mbappe

The biggest setback for the PSG in Champions League final was the performance of their star front lineup, Neymar and Mbappe. Mbappe, in particular, disappointed the most. Mbappe left two clear chances to score, which would have given the team a well-deserved lead in the first half. Fans were left completely awestruck and were in disbelief after he left an easy open goal. This affected his confidence as well, as he lost ball many times on the wing and struggled throughout the match. It would be a day he would certainly wish to forget. Mbappe linked with Neymar in the last minute of the match, only to be let down as the shot went wide across the far post. Mbappe looked defeated in the second half, as he remained most of the time standing inside the Bayern defense and not tracing back to help his teammates. We all missed the golden lad which was full of enthusiasm and made defenders crackle up with his agility and strong pace. NEYMAR on the other hand, was impressive in the first half, with one shot on target also and made some key passes as well. But as soon as Bayern scored their first goal, the disappointment set in. Neymar tried carrying the ball on his own most of the time, resulting in either dispossessing of the ball or chances of getting an injury.

Verratti - Herrera - Paredes

In my earlier post, I had mentioned that Tuchel, the PSG coach, generally likes to play in a 4-3-3 formation, with switching in between to 3-1-4-2 if the opposition presses high on the team. Marquinhos usually drops back and Neymar controls the midfield alongside Verratti. We all know that Neymar is one genius of a player and can be considered as best in playmaking, dribbling, and goal scoring. Tuchel knows this very well, hence he plays Neymar as an attacking Midfielder. Neymar generally drops deep down to receive the ball from Verratti and tries to take chances early on in the game.

To my surprise, Tuchel evidently left out Verratti from the Starting eleven, the midfielder who guides the team and opted to start with Herrera and giving reigns of midfield to Marquinhos and Paredes. Now, in my opinion, Herrera is not a bad player, but to bench Verratti was not a good decision. Herrera played superbly and also created two chances but was not able to keep the ball and rotate as Verratti might have done. Also, there was no assistance provided to Neymar as he hardly touched the ball in the first half except for a decent attempt at goal which Neuer saved exceptionally. Neymar was playing the center-forward, a role which I think does not justify the talented winger. Verratti has an excellent linkup with Neymar, and they probably might have created a chance or two more. PSG possession with the ball was also disappointing, with Bayern having more than 70% of the total ball possession. This shows that how Bayern easily dominated the Midfield in the match and was easily creating chances for their forwards. PSG lacked in the midfield and Tuchel recognized this at the end of the first half, wherein he decided to bring on Verrati and substitute Herrera

Neymar

We all had a lot of expectations from Neymar going in the match, but to our disappointment, Neymar didn't show up to his name. Firstly, I failed to understand why Tuchel played him in the center-forward position and Mbappe on the wing. I know that Mbappe has got the speed and can dribble well past defenders, but Neymar is the best dribbler after Messi for now and there was no sense in playing Mbappe on the left-wing. Neymar knows how to create chances and can easily take a one on one and two also, and usually drops deep to retain the ball, making it easy for the forwards which we completely missed in the finals. Also, Neymar holding onto the balls in midfield in the second half and getting dispossessed was frustrating to watch, which only led to more wastage of time and foul play. Neymar had one golden opportunity in the first half, and his shot was also on target, only to be saved by Neuer. Verratti and Neymar combination is what I missed the most in the match, and Mbapper not turning out was a blowup to our expectation. But the team played a good match overall, with Marquinhos the star player for our side. The team is getting ready, and in the future, we may see the champions league trophy at our home. Just a little more determination and we would be there. What do you think? Tell us in the comment section.

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