Welcome to The Blueprint TOTS. A weekly series where myself (pauciloquxnt) and FUTWIZ will be diving into the ‘Teams of the Season’ and how we can recreate them in FC 25. This week, to coincide with Ligue 1 TOTS, we’ll be looking at Luis Enrique’s dominant title-winning PSG side, hope you enjoy it!
PSG 2024/25 – Fluidity, Dominance & Tactical Precision
Luis Enrique’s first full season at Paris Saint-Germain has marked a significant transformation from a collection of star individuals to a cohesive, tactically disciplined unit. Emphasising structured positional play, relentless pressing, and collective responsibility, Enrique has instilled a philosophy that prioritises team cohesion over individual brilliance. This approach has yielded impressive results, with PSG securing their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title and reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
PSG leads Ligue 1 with an average possession of 68.6%, reflecting their commitment to controlling matches through ball dominance. Offensively, they have scored 84 goals with an expected goals (xG) tally of 84.42, while defensively conceding 31 goals against an expected goals against (xGA) of 29.53, indicating a balanced and effective system.
Formation and Build-Up Play
Under Enrique, PSG operates with a fluid formation that transitions into a 2-3-5 during possession phases:
- Backline Structure: Centre-backs Willian Pacho and Marquinhos maintain a deep position, providing stability and initiating build-up play.
- Wing-Back Dynamics: Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes push high up the flanks, offering width and stretching opposition defences.
- Midfield Configuration: Vitinha anchors the midfield, with João Neves and Fabian Ruiz operating as advanced midfielders, facilitating transitions and supporting the attack.
- Attacking Fluidity: The front three, including Ousmane Dembélé, exhibit positional interchangeability, creating overloads and disrupting defensive structures.
This structure allows PSG to dominate possession, create numerical advantages in key areas, and maintain constant attacking pressure.
Defensive Organisation & Pressing
Enrique’s PSG is characterised by an aggressive, high-pressing approach aimed at suffocating opponents and regaining possession swiftly:
- Relentless Pressing: The team employs coordinated pressing triggers, particularly targeting opponents’ build-up play to force errors and turnovers.
- Midfield Disruption: Midfielders like Vitinha and Neves actively engage in disrupting passing lanes and applying pressure to regain control.
- Transition Defence: Upon losing possession, PSG commits to immediate counter-pressing, minimising the risk of counter-attacks and maintaining territorial dominance.
This defensive strategy has been instrumental in PSG’s ability to control matches and limit opposition opportunities.
Key Roles Within the System
Achraf Hakimi – The Dynamic Wing-Back
- Contributes significantly to the attack with 6 goals and 14 assists, showcasing his offensive prowess.
- Provides width and depth, creating space and opportunities in the final third.
- Demonstrates defensive responsibility, tracking back to support the backline during transitions.
Vitinha – The Midfield Anchor
- Maintains a high pass completion rate, facilitating smooth transitions from defense to attack.
- Acts as the team’s metronome, dictating tempo and distributing the ball effectively.
- Engages in defensive duties, applying pressure and intercepting passes to disrupt opposition play.
João Neves – The Box-to-Box Engine
- Exhibits exceptional work rate, contributing both offensively and defensively.
- Supports attacking movements with timely runs into the box.
- Participates in pressing schemes, aiding in quick ball recovery.
Ousmane Dembélé – The Creative Spark
- Leads the team with 21 goals, highlighting his importance in the attacking phase.
- Operates with freedom, exploiting spaces and creating scoring opportunities.
- Contributes defensively by initiating the press and disrupting opposition build-up.
Overcoming Squad Limitations
Despite the departure of high-profile stars like Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, PSG has embraced a youth-centric approach under Enrique’s guidance. The squad, now one of the youngest in the Champions League knockout stages, has been moulded into a cohesive unit that emphasises collective effort over individual brilliance . This strategic shift has resulted in a more balanced and resilient team, capable of competing at the highest levels.
How This Helped PSG Win the Title
Enrique’s tactical innovations and emphasis on team cohesion have been pivotal in PSG’s domestic success and deep Champions League run. The team’s structured approach, relentless pressing, and fluid attacking play have overwhelmed Ligue 1 opponents, securing the league title with matches to spare. In Europe, PSG’s transformation into a disciplined and unified side has propelled them to the semi-finals, showcasing their evolution from a collection of stars to a formidable team.
Recreated for FC 25
Make sure to check out the full tactic on FUTWIZ
The Tactics
Build-up Style is set to Short Passing, so that the fluidity remains in our control, and we always have an option for a pass.
Line Height is set to 95 so that we are suffocating the opponent and making the pitch as small as humanly possible to force mistakes.
The GK is set to Goalkeeper with a Balanced focus. Donnarumma is a traditional shot-stopper and as such doesn’t get involved in the build up much at all. Balanced ensures he will come off his line to go after loose balls.
The RB is set to Attacking Wingback with an Attack focus. Hakimi is involved in so much of PSGs attack. With the roaming focuses on the attacking players, he will drift inside from time to time as well, mirroring real life.
The LB is set to Attacking Wingback with a Balanced focus. Nuno Mendes is just as attacking as Hakimi, but sometimes tucks in defensively, while we can’t combine roles, we can make him less focused on that ultimate goal of getting forward as quickly as the RB.
The RCB is set to Ball-Playing Defender with a Defend focus. Marquinhos is certainly the more adept ball player of the two CBs, and as such gets involved in build up a little more.
The LCB is set to Defender with a Defend focus. Pacho is much more of a stay at home defender. Big, strong and good in the air, he is the prototypical FC 25 CB.
The CDM is set to Holding with a Roaming focus. Vitinha is all across the defensive area, contributing in build up and filling gaps that players have left. We can most accurately manage this with Holding Roaming.
The RCM is set to Box to Box with a Balanced focus. Neves, while roaming as much as Fabian, does get involved more defensively. So with Box to Box, we can have that, and the role also dictates moving into open space, so we get the roaming aspect.
The LCM is set to Playmaker with a Roaming focus. As previously stated, we want total fluidity with our attacks and this role allows us to.
The LW and RW are set to Inside Forward with a Roaming focus. Again, the focus here is positional fluidity and awareness of space. With a Roaming focus, we can have this in spades.
The ST is set to False 9 with a Build-Up focus. This allows for deeper starting positions, while also allowing for interchange with the roaming wingers. This is the only role that does this on a consistent basis.
Tips and Tricks
- Try and win the ball up as high as you can. The aim of this tactic defensively is to make the pitch as small as possible, so the opponent’s have to either clear it long, or make a mistake.
- RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE! You will ALWAYS have a free player so USE THEM!
- If you get countered, DO NOT drag your CBs straight out. Instead, try to track with the CDM, in order to slow down the attack. Only engage with the CBs when you absolutely have to.
- There is a lot of fluidity to this tactic, lean into it, if you have your RB drifting inside and up toward the CAM position, you will have someone in the space you initially thought they would be. Don’t be alarmed!
- Give yourself 5-10 games to get used to the movement – it’s something that takes a few games to click, but when it does, you will be farming rage quits!
Conclusion
Luis Enrique’s tenure at PSG has redefined the club’s identity, shifting the focus from individual stardom to collective excellence. Through tactical acumen, youth integration, and a relentless work ethic, PSG has emerged as a dominant force domestically and a serious contender in Europe. As they continue to evolve, this PSG side exemplifies the power of unity and strategic vision in achieving footballing success.
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