Formation
PSG deployed a classic 4-3-3 shape against Clermont. However, it had a few tactical twists Tribuna points out in this post.
Tactics explained
Mauricio Pochettino decided to start Kylian Mbappe at centre-forward. The 22-year-old showed he thrives as a No 9, but not as a classic finisher but as an all-around player.
When PSG built up their attacks, Kylian would often drift out wide while midfielders Herrera and Gueye attacked space vacated by the forward.
PSG relied heavily on counters, and Mbappe's pace was heavily used as Clermont were caught off-guard by quick transitions, long balls from PSG's own half and Kylian's express-train runs.
Rafinha played a hybrid role: the Brazilian was an inside forward on the right-hand side and a creative midfielder. He operated predominately in the centre-right channel, linking up well with Hakimi, and often roamed infield and deep to get the ball.
Herrera's acute positioning leading to his double came off as a surprise to many, given that the Spaniard is not usually considered a goalscoring midfielder.
But Ander appeared to be instructed by Pochettino to get more involved up front as he was often seen pushing forward as a part of the second wave of PSG's attacks.
The Parisians' midfield was not creative enough as both Danilo and Gueye are defensive-minded players. Pochettino compensated for this by telling full-backs to play as high as possible.
While Diallo was somewhat restricted as Clermont overloaded the right-hand side, Hakimi clearly enjoyed this license to push forward: his contribution was crucial to PSG's opener.
Full-backs' quick movement added unpredictability to PSG's attacks, confusing Clermont's defenders.
While Hakimi and Diallo could be vulnerable at the back, players like them are absolutely priceless when it comes to playing against low-block, park-the-bus kind of teams. Clermont were not like that and PSG managed to score four, but it would be interesting to see how this approach works against more defensive-minded sides.
