Transcription
Lewis Enrique and Vincent Company's tactics are proving what the future of football at the top level will look like. Modern football is dominated by the talk of boring systems, but PSG and Bayern have just produced one of the most entertaining matches in years. So, in this one, I'll be explaining why Dembele and Kane are redefining what a striker even is, how their rotations and movement make elite defenses look lost, and the way their attacks combine structure and chaos beautifully to constantly create chances. What are the similarities and the differences of these two sides? And why is this the blueprint for the future of elite football?
So, before we get into that, we need to understand why both of these teams are elite, beginning at the heart of their attack. So, first of all, they're forwards. Harry Kane and Usuzman Dembele constantly drop like false nines. They have a freedom of movement, but there's a reason to it. They pull defenders out of position, open passing lanes, and they connect attacks between the lines outstandingly.
So, this is from their first Champions League clash in November. And have a look at Harry Kane. You can see that he's got complete freedom to drop during buildup. He gives them an overload to beat the press because his marker is wary to follow him deep. And from here, Kane's role is as a playmaker, spraying passes to the isolated wide men. And Dembele plays a similar role at PSG at times, using his elusive movement to shine. Vatinia is building from the back here. Dembele drops into the open space to receive the pass. He takes his first touch on the turn and then progresses his team upfield easily. And their heat maps are very similar. You know, both coming into their own half, but also having a great influence in the attacking third.
But of course, when you look at the two of them and their profiles, they are very different players as well. But if defenders follow the false nines, then both teams are ruthless in exploiting the holes that they leave in behind. Because as Kane drops here, it puts Pacho into two minds whether to follow him or to hold. So he gets stuck in no man's land and is powerless to stop Kane forming a three versus two overload to receive the ball freely. Also note how when Kane drops right back, Limer darts infield to occupy the space that Kane vacated. Kane turns, fires a pass into Lima and Bayern are off.
So that's Bayern, but PSG are similarly excellent and have brilliant offensive chemistry, too. Have a look at Dembele dropping while scanning here, making sure his man has followed him deep. And the real interest for me is Hakeime. When I watch PSG often, he is the guy I can't keep my eyes off because he's moved from right back into a central position. He attacks the space then created in behind and receives the ball in the final third. And it doesn't just have to be the striker dropping either. You've got Farret Scalia who drops deep to drag upper Mano here. And this triggers Vatinia to surge into space to complete the slick up back and through combination.
Both teams use aggressive manmarking systems, which is exactly why attacking rotations can then cause confusion to defenders because the really difficult thing is that they have to be ready to forget about their man and to track another player. Take this example where initially Stannisic is marking Barcola and Diaz is on Hakeime and as Hakeime makes a darting run in behind Stannis is alert leaving Barcola to track him all the way. Now, these rotations happen all over the pitch and are a key principle for both managers.
Check this out. This is classic by PSG. Vatin drops into the back line while Marinho steps into his spot and he becomes the free man behind the Bayern press and receives while facing forward to progress the attack. And how their front lines frequently rotate with one another elevates the threat that they have as a team. And this shows it nicely where Kane drops deep to take the attacking midfield slot. Nabri drives through the middle to take up his position and also have a look at how Elise has switched flanks now causing further confusion on who should mark who. But PSG are masters at unsettling opponents and their reference points as well. Have a look at how Barcola and Dembele's shrewd switch ensures that Barca can get free between the lines as the Newcastle defenders are so worried about Dembele's threat. From there, he can then receive freely and engage in some slick combination play to progress the move. The rotations and the movement with such elite players, it causes anxiety in the defenders because they don't know who to pick up, but they are wary of every single one of those players. And this is just utterly brilliant.
Ahead of Alise's goal in the semi-final first leg against PSG. Elise comes central, Diaz moves to the right wing. Harry Kane is on the left and Musala is the striker. And then with that PSG backline pinned and unsure of their assignments, you've got Lise who receives freely between the lines. He's facing forward. He takes three touches and then just fires a rocket into the top corner.
But it's not just forwards rotating, as you'll regularly see central midfielders look like fullbacks, too. Take this example for PSG where fullback Mendes goes in the middle while midfielder Zia Emory takes the fullback role. And what's great about this is that it gets the midfielder into areas where he can dictate the play in less populated areas. And it also lets Mendes use his running power to stretch defenses. To limit the threat of counters during these rotations, they drop a midfielder or hold a fullback deeper to maintain the balance in the team. Mendes and Vatinia are deeper here which provides the protection needed when Bayern are breaking and so here they can defend with a four versus three superiority as opposed to being short-handed. And Bayern actually handled this counter well in a similar fashion albeit with both center midfielders Kimich and Pavlovic deep with this base structure holding them in good stead to prevent this Madrid transition.
Let's talk buildup because both teams find really clever ways to form overloads against the opposition. They frequently build with a back three like PSG here where they drop Vetinia alongside or between the the center backs. And here he's then forming that three against two after pulling deep which then allows him extra time and space to assess his options and ultimately dictate the game. And Vatin is so clever because here against Newcastle, he smartly drops onto the blind side of their first line of pressure, receiving it in a three versus two in oceans of space before powering his team up the field with that dynamism which is such a staple for both these teams. They do not hang about with the ball. They're always looking to be positive and move the ball forwards if they can.
Same goes for Bayern. Have a look at how Kimich drops between the center backs to get on the ball unmarked to overload Madrid. And he relishes all that time and space and he hits this wicked diagonal to Diaz to isolate him 1 v 1. Now on the topic of wingers, another thing that they both do really well is ensure that they are in sort of ideal scenarios for isolating their fullback. Like here, right back Lima in true fashion underlap centrally, which paves the way for Diaz to receive the ball 1 v 1, immediately attacking his marker. And Lyman's run ensures that Trent can't get any support by dragging his marker with him. And being 1 v 1 with Diaz like this is the stuff of nightmares because he is so direct. You never get a chance to get set as a defender.
Similarly at PSG, Hakeime has ventured in field which perfectly frees up Dway to be isolated out wide. And what's a really nice little touch here is how Hakeime then overlaps after feeding Dway to place doubt into the defender's minds. Constant runs, constant threat, and allowing DA to cut in field.
Out of possession, both of these heavy hitters flex their muscles, too. That man-to-man press that we mentioned gets in the face of opponents, limiting their time on the ball and pushing them to the limits when it comes to their technical ability. PSG to top their league for passes per defensive action, while Bayern ranks second, meaning that the opposition don't get much time on the ball before they win it back. Have a look at Bayern here against PSG where they trap against the touch line and then get touch tight to break up the attack. Not to be outdone, watch how Ruiz, Vetinia, and Barcola lock on to their men here. Meanwhile, Dembele presses up a Mano and arcs his run, forcing him to rush his pass.
They're also monsters in the counter press, by the way, which is built on their strong rest defense. Like here where PSG reacted rapidly once Mendes lost the ball here and then they swarmed the opponents so quickly to win it back so they could just go and attack again. And Bayern's class in this area rose to the four for their second goal against PSG. Diaz hunted down Marinhos to rob him on the blind side before proceeding to score.
Now up to now they look like the same team, right? But the details are what make them so hard to stop. And the real difference between these two lies with the manager's core idea. Lewis Enrique's side have a slower tempo. Not slow, but slower tempo. And it's focused on controlling the game. Vincent company's system, it's about just 100% full throttle attacking dynamism. Essentially, just a bit more chaotic in comparison to PSG. But both are obviously clearly equally elite and dangerous.
And a unique trait to company's system is that Kane and Nabry act as double tens. And in this instance, Nabri's initial drop helps Alise get on the ball whilst Kane also checks deep. And as the play unfolds, Kane is perfectly placed to receive in oceans of space to advance Bayern upfield. And while we've seen Kane's heat map earlier in the video, Nabri's one shows his role superbly. Very central, but with freedom to get on the ball deep. See here how Kane and Nabry have dropped centrally and aren't followed deep. This allows Nabry to receive the ball really easily and then out of possession, Bayern focus more on forcing opponents wide in high pressing cases. Just like here where they tilt across, use the touch line as that extra defender and then pen in their opponents. They also look to overload the flank to increase their chances of recovering possession and then having the ability to attack again with an overload. Here against Real Madrid, Pavlovich recognizes that his marker is not going to be involved. So he then darts across to overload where the ball is going to drop, helping Bayern win it back and launch another attack.
PSG on the other hand, they focus on limiting the opposition in wide areas and then forcing them to go centrally. And that moment earlier when Barcelola and Dembele pressed up apano, their angle was out to in to force Bayern centrally. And when they win the ball, they will have that little bit more patience in their approach. They will look to circulate kind of at a pace in comparison to anyone else, but with a little bit more thought in comparison to Bayern Munich. They're waiting for those weaknesses to arise, for those rotations to dizzy the opposition, and then they accelerate their attacks.
These guys, they can control games. They can also attack with chaos. And crucially, the managers are giving the keys back to the players. And I think at the top level, it's needed. Enrique has given them the freedom to improvise and to let the creative juices flow in the final third, especially to devastating effect, as we all saw in that 5-4. And Cody has also given his Bayern players this type of freedom to combine in close proximity to truly explore the pitch, interchange, dribble freely, and get dangerous in those advanced areas. This is a perfect example during buildup where Duet leaves his right wing position. Look at Stannis who scans and notices Duet free, putting his arms out to say, why has he got this much space? Now, these are the constant problems that freedom creates. There is a sense of technical bravery. I know I've been using that phrase that I've made up a lot recently, but it's that and the risk-taking with purpose that has got me purring. Just look at these passages of play. Intricate ball movement, quick combinations, and fluidity. Everything we love about football. Players have freedom to express themselves, carving teams open through both structure and individual brilliance. And every single one of those players on that pitch, especially in the attacking third at both ends, that individual thinks they are the best player in the world. And so when they get the ball, they're not playing it safe. They're trying something, but they've got the execution. Just look at the execution and intricacy of this goal. It is the stuff of magic. It is it's refreshing. Like it's breathtaking. And for any football lover, you know, focusing on the defense, what would you do? You know, it's ridiculous to focus on the defense when there is so much quality, but also, you know, the idea is to lean forward and be positive and take those risks. And that's why the game was 5-4 with such a low xG and two penalties. By the way, it is all executed with blistering speed and precision. Even at full sprint, their touch remains perfectly dialed in. And although clear patterns emerge, they never come at the expense of spontaneity.
Both squads are littered with talent. They know that, too. And yet, they are driven by a powerful collective system that embodies the manager's vision. It is so refreshing to watch. I know you feel the same. If you do, hit the like button, of course, and subscribe to the channel. These two are about entertaining as much as they are about winning. And this for me is the future of elite football. A player that epitomizes this message is Cherky. If you want to see why he is saving football in his own way with his style, click.