There are two defensive questions to answer when facing PSG: how to stop the attacking team and how to stop Kylian Mbappe.

It’s a difficult equation because even if PSG’s rhythm of play is disrupted and their chances are limited, a glimpse of Mbappe’s talent could turn the tide. “I can’t think of a better player in the world at the moment than him,” Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told TNT Sports ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting with the French champions.

“He has a combination of technical ability, excellent athleticism, pace and goal-scoring ability. We have to stop him, but we also have to stop him from receiving the ball. We can’t focus on one player, even if we know how good he is.”

As difficult as it was to solve this equation, Newcastle managed to do it; but how?

The start was not promising. At first it looked like PSG’s front four would put a strain on the Newcastle defence, with Randal Kolo Mouani and Mbappe swapped on the left.

PSG managed to overcome Newcastle’s high pressure in the fourth minute and pull Mbappe towards Jamaal Lascelles…

…We create space for Kolo Muani to attack. Lascelles is forced to focus on Warren Zaire-Emery’s pass to Mbappe which allows Kolo Mouani to attack into space…

…which forces Fabian Schaer and Dan Burn (white) to move to the opposite side and mark other players. As a result, Ousmane Dembele finds himself completely free on the right wing…

…and Mbappe finds his partner in the French national team…

…his blow almost missed the target.

Maybe that’s what Luis Enrique had in mind when he started the match with four forwards in a 4-2-4 formation.

However, being outnumbered in midfield against Newcastle’s trio of Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali made PSG’s job much more difficult, especially since Newcastle’s backline defended comfortably in the man-marking format.

This approach also helped stop Mbappe as Newcastle dropped deeper into the mid-block. When the French striker wanted to drop into midfield, PSG could not easily pass Newcastle’s defensive block.

Every time Mbappe tried to pass, Lascelles followed him on the field…

…Limiting Mbappe’s time on the ball until Newcastle’s midfield trio recovers.

In this example, Lucas Hernandez passes the ball to Bradley Barcol, who replaced Kolo Muani in the second half…

…but due to the advancement of Lascelles, Mbappe is no longer a potential receiver for Barcol. Under pressure from Kieran Trippier, Barcola lost the ball with their first touch and Newcastle regained possession.

After Dembele’s shot in the fourth minute, Lascelles and Trippier began to be more careful when changing players. Here Mbappe moves to the left wing and offers to be his pass receiver, but Lascelles is already signaling that someone needs to defend PSG forward.

Then Hernandez gives the ball to Mbappe…

…Trippier turns his attention and sets off from Kolo Muani towards Lascelles. The pressure from the England right-back means Mbappe cannot turn and is forced to return to defence.

PSG’s 4-2-4 formation also worked in Newcastle’s favor when Howe’s team defended their own half…

…because the success of Newcastle defenders in one-on-one situations meant that one of the Newcastle midfielders could drop into the holding area without disturbing PSG’s two central midfield players. Here Longstaff moves to Newcastle’s right wing to keep the pressure on Mbappe…

…and when Kolo tried to unite with Muani…

… Guimaraes drops down and wins the ball as there is no threat from PSG’s third midfielder or the player moving between the lines.

In another example, Trippier and Lascelles control Mbappe and Kolo Mouany and Newcastle run a three-on-two formation in midfield so Longstaff (Newcastle’s number 36) can move to the right side of the defence.

While Mbappe and Kolo Mouani try to combine on the left wing, Longstaff falls…

…and Kolo does not allow Muani to complete the wall game with Mbappe.

In the second half, Mbappe moved into a more central position alongside Gonçalo Ramos and Newcastle right winger Miguel Almiron or Jacob Murphy were seen attempting to intercept Mbappe’s pass.

In this example, when Milan Skriniar switched to Vitinha, Murphy positioned himself between Vitinha and Hernandez.

When Vitinha receives the ball, Murphy drops quickly and intercepts the pass to Mbappe, even if it means Hernandez is released.

Lascelles’ tight shot and Newcastle’s extra midfielder Guimaraes put pressure on Mbappe, who received a pass from Vitinny.

Mbappe manages to win a free kick from midfield but Newcastle’s main task – limiting their threat – is completed.

All these features of Newcastle’s defensive actions can be summarized in one episode in the 70th minute of the game. Here Almiron looks over his left shoulder to survey the situation and recognize the position of the players behind him. When Longstaff moved to a higher central position…

…Instead of moving wide to pressure Hernandez, Almiron moves into a narrower position to cut off Mbappe’s passing line.

The Paraguayan player waits for the ball to reach PSG’s left-back position and then goes forward and presses, cutting off Mbappe’s passing angle. Hernandez gives the ball to Barcol…

…Longstaff goes back and Lascelles goes forward to mark Mbappe. Again, with Guimaraes and Elliot Anderson able to counter PSG’s two centers (black), Longstaff can drop down and support the right wing without fear of running behind opposition midfielders. This allows the Newcastle midfielder to be more aggressive when coming back and in this instance win the ball.

As Howe explained before the match, it’s not just about stopping Mbappe; It’s a matter of stopping him, but also maintaining the overall defensive organization and limiting PSG’s attack as a whole.

Stopping the team by neutralizing the threat of individual players is the main task of the football defense and Newcastle achieved this in the winning match against PSG (4:1).

Ahmed Waleed, Athletic

Translation and adaptation – Oleg Didukh