"You can see at Paris everyone wants the ball, everyone knows how to use the space, everyone knows how to play one against one, two against one, how you do it."
Those were the words of an admiring Hansi Flick as the Barcelona coach reflected on his team's home loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
In coming from behind to win 2-1, Luis Enrique's side gave an exhibition of how to exploit space behind a man-to-man press. How they did that forms the focus of this analysis, brought to you by FedEx.
As UEFA Technical Observer Michael Carrick said when summing up this Matchday 2 contest: "It sounds very basic but the key to the game is one-twos, third-man runs and forward runs behind."
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Paris goals tell the story
In the Zone: How Paris played in behind
The two Paris goals illustrate Carrick's assessment. With Senny Mayulu's equaliser, look at Nuno Mendes' surge up the left on a one-two with Ibrahim Mbaye, the latter dropping to make space for the full-back to drive into.
For Gonçalo Ramos' winner, meanwhile, consider how Paris played out of the press before Vitinha's pass released Achraf Hakimi behind Barcelona's high back line on the right.
"We worked on this play this week," revealed Ramos, while Luis Enrique added: "When you have players like Nuno and Hakimi who are capable of overcoming this pressure by driving forward or with the pass [to go] deep, you can prepare the match in a better way."
As it happened: Barcelona 1-2 Paris
'A lot of space behind'
For Carrick, a former Champions League-winning midfielder with Manchester United, the key to opening space is to beat the man-to-man pressure, as Paris did last night.
He explained: "There was so much focus on pressing forward and relying on regaining it in that direction. But as we saw, the downside of this is there is a lot of space behind and across the back line.
"It's great if you win the ball back or if the other team keep passing to feet and trying to keep possession but it leaves you exposed against a team that is happy to run and pass less."
As Carrick reflected, for all the football played between the lines last night, "It's runs in behind that were rewarded." And nobody does it better than the Champions League holders right now.
Carrick's keys to beating the high line
• Creating space, by pulling players short
• Willingness to run off the ball
• Timing of the run – better from deep to stay onside
• Recognising the space to pass into
• Synchronisation of attacking actions and movements
Coaching observation – Carrick on preparing your team to exploit space behind
How does a coach work on the training pitch to prepare players to exploit space behind their opponents' high line? Michael Carrick offers the following suggestions:
"A simple passing sequence with a line of mannequins to time your run and stay onside for the pass through is one way. You should have a coach close to a player so he has to run off the blindside of him and join the forward pass, or use him to play a one-two around him.
"I'd then move on to a possession-based game where there is an end zone where defenders can't go into. This is to emphasise running into that zone to receive the pass. Players need an understanding of when to run – the triggers – and also of where to pass. And for whoever is playing that pass, it should not be 'at' the player, but 'in front', into the space.
"It sounds simple but to have the picture in your head, to know the space is there and then having the willingness to run, those are the key things."
Triggers for playing in behind
• Is the player on the ball able to pass in behind or not?
• Does he have enough time?
• Is the defender covering the space or is he very tight and high?
• Is the defender looking at the player or the ball? Is he is square on, making it hard to turn from this position, or is he side on ready to turn and run?
UEFA Technical Observer Michael Carrick was a cultured midfielder for the likes of West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester United and England in his playing career, winning five English titles and the 2008 Champions League.
Read the 2024/25 Champions League technical report