Skip to content

AnalysisLigue 1

Analysis

PSG win the ball higher than anyone in Ligue 1

PSG win the ball high up the pitch 17.25 times a game, league average 11.95, ahead of Troyes on 14.50.

Published by The90Pro · 3 min read

Instagram card

17.25

PSG, high turnovers a game

League average 11.95; next: Troyes 14.50; 18 shots within 10 s of one, 1.64 xG, 1 goal; 8 games

Where a team wins the ball back says a lot about how it wants to play. PSG win it in the final 40% of the pitch 17.25 times a game against a league average of 11.95, with Troyes next on 14.50. Those high turnovers have led to 18 shots within 10 seconds, worth 1.64 xG and 1 goal.

The league picture

A high turnover is the ball won (a recovery, a won tackle or an interception) in the final 40% of the pitch. Won that close to goal, the ball becomes a chance before the defence is set; the chart counts the shots that follow within 10 seconds. PSG sit in the "win it high, make it count" corner, with Rennes, Toulouse and Troyes.

High turnovers and the shots that follow, a game, this season
↖ Win it low, still shootWin it high, make it count ↗Shots within 10 s of one, a game () →
↙ Sit and waitWin it high, little comes ↘High turnovers a game () →

Hover or tap a crest for its numbers. Dashed lines: league average.

How they do it

PSG have lined up in a 4-3-3 in 8 of their 8 Ligue 1 games; this is the eleven that has started there most, with each player's average match rating.

Their pass network from the 2-0 win against Lyon on Monday shows where each player took the ball and who found whom. The busiest link was Hakimi to Vítinha.

Usual XI: 4-3-3 in 8 of 8 games, season average ratings4-3-3
  • 7.1SafonovPSG
  • 7.1HakimiPSG
  • 7.0PachoPSG
  • 7.4MarquinhosPSG
  • 7.1Ferran TorresPSG
  • 7.5RuizPSG
  • 7.2AkliouchePSG
  • 7.3João NevesPSG
  • 7.2KvaratskheliaPSG
  • 6.9Zaïre-EmeryPSG
  • 6.9BeraldoPSG

Photos: Paté kroute / CC0 · Bryan Berlin / CC BY-SA 4.0

Pass network, 2-0 win v Lyon
100Vítinha45Zabarnyi61Ruiz45Zaïre-Emery39Doué45Pacho76Hakimi47Akliouche43João Neves7Ferran Torres5Safonov

Tap or hover a player to see who they passed with and how often.

Paris Saint-Germain · Starting XI until the first substitution (56')Busiest link: Hakimi and Vítinha, 40 passes.Centralisation index 0.11: Vítinha made 2.1× an even share of the passes.

Circles show passes made; lines, passes between the pair. Brighter and thicker means more. Attacking to the right. The full match

Where they win it, against the league average, zone by zone:

Chart: PSG win the ball high up the pitch 17.25 times a game, league average 11.95, ahead of Troyes on 14.50.

The players who drive it, and the number that matters for this story:

Key players, this season
  • SafonovGoalkeeper0 tackles and 0 interceptions in 720 minutes
    54ball recoveries
  • VítinhaCentral midfielder7 tackles and 6 interceptions in 586 minutes
    40ball recoveries
  • PachoCentre-back12 tackles and 6 interceptions in 540 minutes
    34ball recoveries
  • Zaïre-EmeryLeft-back9 tackles and 2 interceptions in 568 minutes
    34ball recoveries

Photos: Paté kroute / CC0 · Bryan Berlin / CC BY-SA 4.0

The trend

Over 5 games at a time, PSG's high turnovers a game is 16.20 now, down from 17.00 after their first 5; the low was 15.80 (MD 6 v Le Mans). Troyes, the line to compare with, are on 13.40; the league average is 11.95. Over 8 games this is a trend worth watching rather than a verdict.

High turnovers a game, rolling 5 games
10121416185678

Matchday along the bottom, up the side. Dashed line: league average. Tap the names to show or hide a line.

What to watch

Next for PSG: away to Le Havre on Friday (the match page). On high turnovers a game, Le Havre are on 11.2 against PSG's 17.2: they sit on opposite sides of the league average, so expect a contrast in styles.

New to a term? See the glossary.

More from Ligue 1

9.8Hakimi, best rating

Team of the week

Ligue 1 team of matchday 9

The best-rated XI of matchday 9, led by Hakimi (9.8).