There was so much to applaud about Paris Saint Germain's sensational UEFA Champions League final display in Munich – and, for the UEFA Technical Observer Group, the starting point was their outstanding fluidity of movement.
The positional rotations of the Paris team caused Inter severe difficulties, as is highlighted in the following analysis of their record-breaking 5-0 victory, brought to you by FedEx.
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As UEFA Technical Observer Ioan Lupescu said, "We have to highlight the rotation of the Paris players – the wingers, the attackers and also Achraf Hakimi, who was sometimes playing as a striker. There was a lot of mobility compared to Inter, who were more rigid in their approach."
As it happened: Paris 5-0 Inter
Paris' elite rotations undo Inter
In the Zone: Paris' quick attacks
The video above shows the first three goals from Paris and the first goal underlines Lupescu's point by showing right-back Hakimi perfectly placed like a centre-forward to convert the cross from Désiré Doué.
This fluidity has been a consistent theme of Paris' displays this season, drawing the attention of the UEFA Technical Observer Group more than once – as, for example, in this analysis of their semi-final win at Arsenal.
As Player of the Match Doué said, "I think it's part of our strength as a team that we have a lot of very versatile players who can play in different positions. This evening, I started on the right and, as you've seen, we moved around a lot during the match."
"The way they coordinate their movements creates that fluidity on the ball," added UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland, who explained that "all the rotations and positional exchanges caused Inter to struggle to know who was pressing who in their more man-marking system".
If Inter struggled to press, Paris – who began the game with the youngest starting XI in a Champions League final this century (average age: 25 years and 96 days) – were "exceptional" in the intensity of their pressing, according to coach Luis Enrique.
He singled out forward Ousmane Dembélé for the way he "pressed [Yann] Sommer and [Francesco] Acerbi and every other central defender with a massive intensity which meant they didn't have time to think". The result, as Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged, was that Paris were quicker to the ball. "They pressed us on the second balls and got there first," he said.
For Paris, the reward was their first European crown on a night when they made history, becoming the 24th winners of the trophy by achieving a record margin of victory in a European Cup/Champions League final.