Does the unsolvable Paris midfielder remind you of Habaibu and the ceremony midfielder?

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Qinbo

Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain may not have the strength and achievements to participate in the "best in history" discussion. But they can at least be sure that they are "the best in the history of the American afternoon." In the uncommon tee time and super hot climate, Paris Saint-Germain still played football that crushed its opponents, and Atletico Madrid was almost dragged into a tactical vacuum by Paris.

This game is not only a perfect revenge against Paris' 1-2 loss to Atletico Madrid at home 7 months ago, but it is more like a football declaration. Although Simeone's team made very detailed and meticulous preparations for the Club World Cup and the first match of Paris, nothing can stop Paris now. The scenes and results make the opponent seeking targeted tactics feel a bit funny, but if you don’t seek restraint and targeting solutions, what should you do to restrain this Paris?

This victory occurred against the background of the absence of two power forwards of Dembele and Balcola. In particular, Paris Saint-Germain resumed its real No. 9 start, and Portuguese Gonzalo Ramos stood in the middle of the forward line. Due and Kvaratskhelia still show strong destruction capabilities. But perhaps one thing is clearly reflected in the first game of the Club World Cup: Paris Saint-Germain's strength is first of all the strength of the midfield, and this three-man midfield consisting of Vitinia, Favian Ruiz and Joao Neves is the opponent's difficulty in dealing with.

Paris Saint-Germain still insisted on the kick-off method used against Inter Milan, directly allowing Vitinia to accurately kick the ball to the opponent's backcourt, exiting the boundary from the sideline area closest to the corner flag, and then taking advantage of the opponent's opportunity to serve out the outbound ball, the whole team pressed forward and launched a crazy press. Vitinia showed her stability, accuracy and efficiency in this series of tactics. His partner Favian is like a chess piece that can seamlessly switch between stealth and standing up. With a lot of diligence, he can suddenly flash his inspiration, and he scored another goal, and it was a key goal, just like against Arsenal. Babyface Neves is even further backwards, and he is responsible for indispensable tasks in backcourt scheduling, interception and connection.

This midfield combination is "2 short + 1 tall", Vitinia is 1.72 meters, Neves is 1.74 meters, and Favian is close to 1.90 meters. Their characteristics are that they have a very tacit understanding of each other, and they can overcome various potential problems through precise running positions, efficient passes and amazing range of movement, such as opponents using multiple tall players to attack, or trying to create local personnel advantages to fight Paris, which they can almost all resolve. Former French international Escud said in a commentary on the TV station, "This is the trio that best reflects the 'football IQ'."

These three people can not only oppress horizontally, but also advance vertically. In the game against Atletico Madrid, they frequently swap positions, leaving their opponents running. Whether it is pressing, defensive retracement or organizational offense. In fact, from February 2025 to the present, Paris' midfield has crushed almost all the giants: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Inter Milan - none of them can really compete with them in the midfield.

Le Parisien believes that this Parisian midfielder is moving towards the height of legendary combinations such as Busquets Xavi Iniesta, or Modric Kroos Casemiro. Although it still takes time to verify its sustainability, in terms of dominance in the 2024-25 season, they can already match the best midfielders in history.

Club World Cup, can we provide solutions to this Paris midfielder?