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Arsenal Vs PSG Post-Match Tactical Analysis & Ernesto Valverde Defence Tactics At Athletic Bilbao
Today, we have a post-match tactical analysis of Arsenal vs PSG in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash along with a team analysis of Athletic Club's defence tactics under Ernesto Valverde.
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Today’s TFA Posts ⚽
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) brought home a victory from their UEFA Champions League trip to North London.
They beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
As Mikel Arteta pointed out in his press conference, it was a victory down to the small margin and the efficiency of PSG’s attack.
Well, Arteta will be hoping he has a full-strength side for the second leg.
He certainly may be hoping that one of Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus will be there, as Arsenal do not look particularly efficient up front.
In that game, Arteta used a front three of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka.
He couldn’t play Mikel Merino up front because he needed the Spaniard in midfield after Thomas Partey was ruled out of the first leg.
It wasn’t the ideal lineup to face PSG, who had young, energetic, and quick attackers in Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola coming off the bench.
But if you look at the game, Arsenal’s defeat was not just about their attacking personnel.
It was more about how Luis Enrique was able to outsmart Arteta in certain aspects of the game.
Yes, the underlying numbers may favour Arsenal, as they had 1.63 expected goals (xG) compared to PSG’s 1.16.
However, if we take out Martinelli’s chance in the 40th minute, which was arguably offside, Arsenal only have 0.80 xG, and you can see why the exact score is 1-0 to PSG.
Now that the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg matches have finished, it’s time for the UEFA Europa League semi-finals to take centre stage.
One of today’s clashes takes place in North London, where Tottenham Hotspur host Bodø/Glimt.
Our focus turns to Bilbao, however, where Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club, a team commonly referred to as Athletic Bilbao around the world, are set to host Manchester United.
In addition to being in the Europa League semis, the Basque club currently sit fourth in La Liga.
Los Leones have the joint-fifth-best goalscoring record in the league, with 50.
However, they boast the best defensive record, having conceded just 26 in 33 games, as well as the lowest xGA (31.9).
Evidently, Valverde’s Athletic Club have been incredibly solid when out of possession this term.
Their league position (sitting comfortably in the UEFA Champions League qualification places) can primarily be attributed to their defensive exploits, as can their progress to the UEL semi-finals.
Ahead of their semi-final first-leg clash with Man United at Estadio San Mamés, our Ernesto Valverde tactical analysis aims to outline the 61-year-old coach’s out-of-possession tactics.
TFA Archives 📆
Before Manchester United face Athletic Club this evening, check out our analysis of Ruben Amorim’s corner tactics which could make a difference in the semi-final first leg tonight.
Tottenham Hotspur host Bodø/Glimt in tonight’s UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Learn about Ange Postecoglou’s tactical philosophy via our analysis!
Kjetil Knutsen has masterminded Bodø/Glimt’s journey to the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Read about the 56-year-old tactician’s approach with the Norwegian side via our tactical analysis!
