Twenty3’s Tactics Truck: Newcastle United v Paris Saint-Germain
Newcastle United are back in the Champions League – and St. James’ Park is set to host its first game back in the competition proper since 2002-03 in blockbuster fashion when Paris Saint-Germain come to town.
The Magpies made their return to Europe’s premier club competition with a trip to Italy, playing out a goalless draw with last season’s semi-finalists AC Milan at the San Siro.
In this edition of Tactics Truck, we break down Newcastle and PSG’s clash on Tyneside with the help of the Twenty3 Toolbox.
Newcastle United
Newcastle’s two-decade absence from the Champions League has seen them drawn into what is undoubtedly this season’s ‘Group of Death’ alongside PSG, Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
Eddie Howe will surely not turn his nose up at a clean sheet and a creditable draw away in Italy to kick-start their European campaign, although the Magpies were made to work hard for their point.
Nick Pope made nine saves – second only to Crvena zvezda’s Omri Glazer in the first round of fixtures – keeping the Rossoneri out despite their xG of 2.11.
Newcastle also found themselves particularly vulnerable to fast breaks in Milan, conceding 0.58 xG from counter-attacks – the most in the competition.
And while the Magpies did manage to complete five through-balls – only Manchester City managed more – the Rossoneri largely blunted their efforts going forward, restricting Howe’s men to just nine successful attacking actions – the joint-lowest tally in the Champions League.
Newcastle will have to be better in both areas if they are to earn another result against PSG – and the boost of what will surely be a raucous St. James’ Park may help them elevate their performance.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG commenced their latest quest for Champions League success with a 2-0 home victory over Dortmund, with Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi both netting in the second half.
However, it was the French side’s defensive aptitude that, unusually, stood out as arguably the most impressive element of their collective performance.
Like Newcastle, PSG kept a clean sheet; unlike the Magpies, they were in no way fortunate to do so.
They faced just one shot on target, which had a post-shot xG value of only 0.04 – the second-best record in the competition from the first round of fixtures after Real Madrid, who did not concede a single shot on target.
PSG achieved such solidity through superb pressing, preventing their opponents from putting together a single sequence with 10 or more passes and recording an average of 5.55 passes per defensive action – both the best tallies in the Champions League so far.
Newcastle’s forwards may be set for another frustrating night if Luis Enrique’s men replicate their relentless pressing on Tyneside.
Mbappe v Trippier
On an individual level, the battle between Mbappé and Kieran Trippier could well prove decisive.
In addition to scoring the opening goal from the spot against Dortmund, the French superstar was typically single-minded with the ball at his feet, attempting 26 attacking actions and 14 dribbles – more than any player in the competition.
That Newcastle’s own star man is set to come up directly against PSG’s best player makes for an intriguing contest.
However, while Trippier is no slouch defensively – making a team-high 14 ball recoveries in Italy – his most significant contributions to the team come when he is on the ball.
Against Milan, the 33-year-old right-back ranked top among his team-mates for progressive runs (five), passes received (44) and completed passes (53), forward passes (21), final third passes (seven) and through-balls (two), as well as featuring in the most possessions (42), sequences (52) and sequences ending in the final third (21).
Howe may feel Trippier holds the key to success against PSG by targeting the space behind Mbappé on the flank when the 24-year-old makes his regular forays forward.
Additionally, the Englishman is the Magpies’ resident set-piece specialist and the Premier League outfit may need to make the most of dead-ball situations against their illustrious opponents.
Should Newcastle breach PSG’s rearguard, one thing is certain – St. James’ Park will be rocking.
All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.