PSG Football Formation

Starting Lineup

PSG plays a very vertical style of football using a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup is built to attack quickly and use the speed of the forwards to punish teams on the transition. They look to win the ball and immediately break the line with direct passes. The team aims to stretch the defence by using wide players and a central presence.

Donnarumma guards the goal with great shot stopping ability. The defensive unit sits in a back five where Hakimi operates as an attacking wing back on the right to provide width. Armand plays as the left wing back to push up and overlap. In the center, Verratti acts as a ball playing defender to help play out from the back. Marquinhos and Silva occupy the central spots to cover the space and win headers. Marquinhos uses his positional awareness to intercept passes while Silva provides cover.

The midfield works as a double pivot with Sušić and Raí in the center. These two must work hard to shield the defense and win the second ball. Sušić drives forward with the ball to connect the lines, while Raí helps to recycle possession and find the feet of the striker. They are responsible for pressing in a mid-block to force a long ball from the opposition. This pair must also track back to help the wing backs when the team loses the ball.

Up front, Ibrahimović acts as a target man to hold up the ball and win the header. He creates space for the others to run in behind. Neymar plays as an inverted winger on the left, frequently cutting inside to create chances with his dribbling. Mbappé stays wide on the right but uses his incredible speed to exploit space. The goal is to create combinations between the three forwards and use the width provided by the wing backs. Neymar and Mbappé often look to isolate defenders one on one.

One advantage of this PSG formation is the ability to create wide overloads. When Hakimi and Armand push up, they create extra numbers against the opposition full backs. The team also has immense speed of transition when they win the ball in the middle third. This allows them to hit in behind on the transition before the opponent can set the offside trap. Another strength is the individual quality in the final third to break the line.

This 5-2-3 formation focuses on a strong defensive base coupled with lightning fast attacking movements. It is best suited for matches against teams that sit deep and leave space behind their defensive line.