da realbet： The Parisians' poor tactical set-up allowed a rampant home side to ease to a 4-1 win in the Champions League

da dobrowin： Newcastle's opening goal against Paris Saint-Germain should have set the warning bells off for Luis Enrique. Marquinhis, his captain and most experienced player, surveyed the field from the corner of his own box and looked for a pass. Three lanes — wide to either wing and through the middle — were cut off. The only option was to go long. Marquinhos tried, only to see his feeble attempt at a weak-footed dink reach Bruno Guimaraes about 10 yards away. Thirty seconds later, the Magpies had the ball in the net.

It was a microcosm of a tactical mishap from Luis Enrique, who found his side not only outrun but also out-thought in a devastating 4-1 loss on Wednesday. It was hard to see what, exactly, the manager was going for when the teamsheets came out. Playing 4-2-4, with four attacking players who like to play high up the pitch, made little sense against a 4-3-3 loyalist in Newcastle's Eddie Howe.

And it proved as such. PSG were outnumbered in their own half, and up against it almost immediately. Newcastle scored the first goal — a product of Marquinhos' blunder — within 20 minutes. A second came from a set-piece just before the break. The third, an all-too-easy counter-attack, was added early in the second half. And although PSG got themselves on the scoreboard shortly after, they were never really in the game.

That was mostly because they simply couldn't keep the ball. Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery were outnumbered in midfield, while PSG's wide players stayed glued to the touchline. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe, the supposed superstar, who was seemingly poised to make the difference on the night, barely touched the ball — and didn't put a shot on target. Worryingly, Luis Enrique never seemed willing to adapt, his only substitutions were like-for-like switches that did little to change the game. But he should have been able to see that this was not a personnel problem.

Rather, it was a 4-1 Newcastle win that was every bit the battering the scoreline suggested. The Magpies were rampant on the night, pressing in packs and clinical in key areas. And for Luis Enrique, it was a result that suggested that he needs to rethink his tactics when these two sides meet again — if not before.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from St. James' Park…

Getty ImagesWINNER: Eddie Howe

There were a few critics when Newcastle hired Howe in November 2021. He was certainly a talented manager, but Newcastle, flush with cash and rife with ambition, might have needed someone with Champions League pedigree.

But here, coaching his first Champions League home game, Howe stood up to what few critics remained. The manager got his tactics exactly right, asking his team to press high early, squeeze PSG's midfield pivot when they were on the ball, and rely on the pace and creativity of his front three. It is no coincidence that two of Newcastle's four goals came on the break, and if it wasn't for some heroics from Gianluigi Donnarumma, his side could have scored five.

At the other end, they were typically solid. Although they didn't have an extra man against the Parisians, Newcastle looked a solid unit, and were never really in danger. Howe has always been a very good manager domestically. Here, he looked like a soon-to-be elite one.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Luis Enrique

Did Luis Enrique not see this coming, or was he simply too bold to prepare for it? St. James' Park was always going to be buzzing for this one, while Newcastle were sure to come out with a real intensity. It was puzzling then, that the ex-Barcelona boss decided to play four attacking players, and leave his back six outnumbered. The youthful duo of Ugarte and Zaire-Emery were simply overrun in midfield, while none of his attacking players dropped deep to pick up the ball.

The result was a defensive unit struggling with overloads, and no one willing to receive a pass further up the pitch. Newcastle's first goal was a by-product of that exact issue, Marquinhos forced into a giveaway when trying to hit a ball long with his weak foot. And although the second came from a set-piece, the free-kick that led to it was a result of a Newcastle overload.

Luis Enrique could have changed things at half-time and removed one of his four attackers — ideally Randal Kolo Muani — for an extra midfielder. But he instead pushed on, PSG looking more open at the back and getting their only goal from a defensive player. If this was a set-up meant to blow Newcastle away, it will be remembered as a remarkable failure.

Getty/GOALWINNER: Newcastle's Geordie boys

Despite those who have misgivings about how Newcastle's return to the top table of European football has been financed, it is hard not to be happy for the lifelong Magpies who have waited 20 years for this moment. And for Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, both boyhood Newcastle fans, this was a magical night.

Burn did his part at left-back. He still looks an odd selection in such an athletic team, 6'7 tall and lacking in the kind of modern finesse full-backs have these days. But he is a crafty defender, and reliable tackler. He made that clear against Ousmane Dembele, who seldom got in behind the Newcastle defence.

It was even better for Longstaff. Handed a starting role in a powerful midfield three, Longstaff was charged with doing a bit of everything. And spurred on by the home crowd, he took on his role with aplomb. Early on, there were the big tackles and smart interceptions. Later, he found teasing passes, and exploited space.

Both ended up on the scoresheet – Burn with a powerful first-half header, Longstaff with an arrowed drive early in the second half – to cap memorable home European debuts.

Getty ImagesLOSER: PSG's front four

It's hard to blame PSG's front four too much for their manager's poor tactics. After all, the supply lines to them were cut off. They were, quite clearly, told to stay high up the pitch, and look to spring on the break against an admittedly slower Newcastle defensive quartet. But it became evident early on that such a set-up wasn't working. PSG were suffocated from the back, and their forward players needed to drop in.

And none of the four did so consistently. Dembele showed vague interest in receiving the ball in midfield, while Mbappe flirted with the idea of pulling towards the middle of the pitch. And the other two — Goncalo Ramos and Kolo Muani — were almost frighteningly rigid.

There were bound to be moments when PSG could strike, and they came every now and then, the Parisians given room to run as Newcastle recovered. But they simply weren't sharp enough, with Dembele missing their four best chances of the night — in disappointing fashion, too.

Luis Enrique has a real conundrum on his hands about his tactics going forward. Can he play all four of his attacking players in such big games?