Switches, Wide Combinations, & Late Runs: How Mourinho Beat Barcelona in El Clásico

From the source

Source excerpt · Managing Madrid ↗

At Parc des Princes, in the 12th minute, Barcelona pressed Paris Saint-Germain after a possession loss in the final third. The Catalans tried to funnel the play toward the flanks, given Lamine Yamal’s position and distance from Lucas Hernandez.

With a third-man combination, PSG found the free left-back. As a reaction, Xavi Espart had to leave Kvaratskhelia and jump diagonally onto the ball carrier.

The distance between the fullbacks was too large, and the rest of Barcelona’s backline had to shuttle across to cover the ball side. Lucas Hernandez made use of the time and space on the ball to switch play to the opposite side, where Hakimi, Vitinha, and Doué overloaded Cancelo and Olmo.