Kylian Mbappé joked recently that even Neymar Jr. is putting in tackles, and Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel is clearly satisfied with the tactical switch to 4-4-2 late last year which has contributed to six consecutive league wins.
With Mbappé and Neymar both struggling with injuries earlier in the season, Tuchel was under little pressure to work out how to squeeze them into the team alongside in-form Argentine pair Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria.
All four are now fit and firing. With strikers Edinson Cavani and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting also available to call upon, Tuchel says that this particular selection headache is a welcome one.
'A team cannot win with just five players'
"We're more reliable and beefier than in 2019," he explained at the pre-match press conference ahead of PSG's clash with AS Monaco on Sunday night. "Our team's matured with our recruitment in pre-season. We've got a great team with healthy competition and I want to maintain our good level.
"We attack together and we defend together. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful things in football. A team cannot win with just five players. The highest level requires playing as a team. If you want to play 4-4-2, there are a lot of things to do and spaces to protect. Everyone has to do what is necessary and the players are doing it at the moment."
'The best possible mix'
Mbappé has had a hand in 15 Ligue 1 Conforama goals this season, with Di Maria, Neymar and Icardi contributing to 13, 12 and 11 respectively, but Tuchel has been just as impressed at his side's ability to defend from the front.
"We have players capable of this counter-pressing," he said. "Neymar is smart enough to do it, Mauro Icardi or Angel Di Maria and Pablo Sarabia, too. We always find the best possible mix for us to keep this balance."