PSG faced Strasbourg at the Parc des Princes for the eighth fixture of Ligue 1, and the game ended in a very entertaining 3-3 draw that does not help anyone except Olympique de Marseille.
After winning their match with Le Havre, they can benefit from this draw and get closer to the top spot or lead the standings.
The draw does not reflect both teams’ efforts in this match.
The two teams had their key moments and low moments, but they were not capable of building on their momentum to “kill the game” when they had to.
For Strasbourg, the performance and result were satisfying for the team as they can be considered an achievement given the importance and the difficulty of getting points from the Parc des Princes.
In fact, Strasbourg were capable of making an early comeback and leading by a two-goal margin, but they were unable to exploit that lead and protect it during the second half, especially due to fatal defensive mistakes that could have been avoided.
Furthermore, the teams approach in this match required a lot of physical and athletic efforts, which made it complicated for them to conserve the same rhythm in the last 15 minutes or so of the match.
This led indirectly to conceding the third goal and risking conceding a few other goals due to PSG’s varied attacking attempts.
Despite that, Strasbourg could have snatched a win if they had exploited the key goalscoring opportunity they created during the final minutes of the match, which the striker Joaquín Panichelli missed.
On the other hand, although PSG started the match well by scoring an early goal, they failed to protect their lead, quickly conceding the equalising goal, and making other worrying defensive errors that led to conceding two other goals.
PSG’s defensive performance in this match was not convincing enough, and Luis Enrique, who is surely unsatisfied with the team’s overall defensive performance, needs to make many revisions.
But it counts for PSG, however, that they were capable of getting back in the match and scoring two crucial goals to equalise and ensure they did not get beaten.
They could have even scored the winning goal, but failed to do so after they created numerous goalscoring opportunities during the final minutes.
The tactical analysis of the match between PSG and Strasbourg will focus mainly on how Strasbourg succeeded in disturbing PSG in Paris and got very close to winning, as well as exploring the reasons that prevented them from protecting their lead despite the two-goal advantage.
PSG Vs Strasbourg Lineups & Formations
PSG started the match with numerous absences, just like before the international break, as players like Ousmane Dembélé, Fabian Ruiz, Marquinhos, and Joao Neves were still unavailable for this match.
In addition to these major absences, Enrique made the risky choice of resting many of the usual starting XI despite playing against a direct rival in the standings, for the sake of having these players ready for the UEFA Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
The final result of the match suggests that Enrique was not 100% right in his turnover process and choices.
Resting players like Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, the team’s most powerful weapons, and subbing in Mendes only in the 90th minute despite not winning the game means that Enrique was too optimistic about his starting players’ potential to turn the tables on Strasbourg.
Adapting to the circumstances of the match and changing plans when needed could have helped Enrique secure a win in this match.
He could have used much more dangerous players, not just for the full-back role but also in midfield, since he had the option of Vitinha and avoided using him even during the final minutes of the match, despite failing to score the winning goal and having two substitutions left since the 61st minute.
Therefore, Enrique can receive some criticism for his player choices in this match, mainly because he had the opportunity to use more tools to help him win the game, but preferred to rest some key players and avoid giving them some playing time to help make a full comeback on Strasbourg.
Enrique opted for the 4-3-3 formation with Lucas Chevalier as a goalkeeper, Senny Mayulu as a right-back, Illia Zabarnyi and Lucas Beraldo as centre-backs, and Lucas Hernández as a left-back.
The midfield was made up of Warren Zaïre-Emery as a defensive midfielder, with Lee Kang-in and Désiré Doué as central midfielders supporting the attack frequently and causing a lot of threat on Strasbourg’s defensive line.
The return of Doué from injury will be very helpful for PSG in the coming period, as he has already shown in this match that his attacking input can still be very dangerous against any opponent.
Attacking-wise, PSG relied on Bradley Barcola on the left wing and Ibrahim Mbaye on the right wing, while Gonçalo Ramos was the team’s striker.
For Strasbourg, Liam Rosenior preferred to start the match according to the 3-4-2-1 formation with Mike Penders as a goalkeeper, Ismaël Doukouré, Lucas Høgsberg, and Ben Chilwell as centre-backs.
The midfield was composed of Valentín Barco and Samir El Mourabet as central midfielders, Guéla Doué as a right wing-back, Abdoul Ouattara as a left wing-back, and both Julio Enciso and Diego Moreira as advanced playmakers who often lean to the wings; the main striker was Panichelli.
This lineup helped Strasbourg guarantee defensive balance and a continuous attacking threat.
Strasbourg relied mainly on intensity and ability to win duels, whether in attack or defence, and that’s why Strasbourg were better, especially during the first half.
[PSG Vs Strasbourg [3–3] Ligue 1 2025/2026: Strasbourg Double-Edged Defensive Organisation And The Joaquín Panichelli Impact - Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PSG-Vs-Strasbourg-3–3-Ligue-1-20252026-Strasbourg-Double-Edged-Defensive-Organisation-And-The-Joaquin-Panichelli-Impact-Tactical-Analysis-1.jpg)
PSG Vs Strasbourg Formations
Strasbourg Crucial Initial Defensive Plan
Strasbourg started the match with an extremely high defensive block and very close lines to disturb PSG’s build-up from the back, their dominating possession phases, and their dangerous attacking transitions.
Strasbourg Defensive Style
Even though they conceded goals, Strasbourg were overall successful with this strategy.
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