Brighton & Hove Albion – Manchester City: Fluid City Shrug Aside Albion Challenge (0-4)

Arsenal claimed the top spot on Tuesday. The following day, Liverpool suffered a massive setback, prompting Manchester City to respond, which they did in impressive fashion. City’s midfielders stole the show this time, as they were able to counter Brighton’s aggressive approach with multiple solutions. A convincing 4-0 victory reflected both in terms of result and the quality of their performance.

Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

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Recent weeks have posed several challenges for Roberto de Zerbi, with Brighton & Hove Albion winning just two of their last ten games. This can partly be attributed to the injury crises faced throughout the season, alongside opponents gaining a better understanding of De Zerbi’s tactical approach in his second season in-charge. Despite all the struggles, European football for next season remains within reach, with just six points separating them from seventh-placed Newcastle United.

De Zerbi made three changes from their stalemate against Burnley, with Jason Steele returning in goal ahead of Bart Verbruggen. Joël Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Lewis Dunk kept their places at the back, while Valentin Barco made his first start in place of Pervis Estupiñán. Pascal Groß and Carlos Baleba formed the double pivot in midfield. Ahead of them, Adam Lallana replaced Simon Adingra, while Jakub Moder and João Pedro also started with Danny Welbeck upfront.

Meanwhile, it certainly appears that Pep Guardiola’s men have once again surged into top form when it truly counts. Despite the setback in the Champions League against Real Madrid, they recovered quickly with a narrow victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. However, during this period, Arsenal have responded strongly, establishing a four-point lead at the summit. But Manchester City still retain control of their destiny, which has consistently proven to favor them in the past.

Guardiola made several changes from that victory over Chelsea, including the return of Ederson in goal instead of Stefan Ortega. Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Aké, and Joško Gvardiol comprised the back four, while Mateo Kovačić and Rodri formed the midfield pivot. Kevin De Bruyne started once again, accompanied by Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, with Julián Álvarez leading the frontline as Erling Haaland remained sidelined.

City’s fluidity leads to cruise control

In the reverse fixture, City predominantly used Jérémy Doku as an outlet, with varying dimensions within their box midfield. This time, Guardiola opted to congest the middle of the pitch with his highly technical players, while Gvardiol and Walker situationally held the width. The initial structure mirrored a 2-3 shape in the first line, with Guardiola deploying his jack of all trades, Bernardo Silva, to operate deeper alongside Rodri and Kovačić.

On the other hand, Brighton once again employed a man-oriented approach, but they were not eager to press higher up the pitch. Both forwards, Pedro and Lallana (with Welbeck occasionally switching with Lallana), spread wide to cover the midfield and provide support to the full-backs, with the trigger to engage being when the ball was played to the center-back. Essentially, the hosts denied access to Rodri, Kovačić, and Silva.

Initially, Brighton’s approach posed questions for City, leading Ederson to bypass the midfield and opt for long passes to Foden and Álvarez. Walker also served as an outlet at times, with his late runs creating a few issues for the young Barco. However, it did not significantly disrupt Brighton, as they were able to collapse on the ball-side and force City to recycle possession. Brighton certainly began the game strongly, even having a shot on goal in the second minute when Van Hecke stole the ball from Foden in midfield before Welbeck’s effort was saved by Ederson.

After figuring out the structure, City began settling into the game, with Rodri dropping between the center-backs to increase the distance between himself and his marker (usually Baleba). This adjustment proved to be a solution to release one of their midfielders. When Rodri dropped deeper, either Foden or De Bruyne, who had the freedom to rotate or drift wider, occupied the vacated space in the second line. Consequently, Baleba faced a decision and often chose not to follow Rodri aggressively, giving the Spaniard the time and space to engage in short passes with Silva and Kovačić. This move even played a part in City’s opening goal.

Minute 16: City’s offensive sequence. Rodri dropped deeper to receive possession, and Baleba failed to follow him, as City prepared to stack the midfield with Foden and De Bruyne. Consequently, Silva’s marker, Lallana, was drawn to Rodri. He then found Kovačić, who drifted centrally, received on the half-turn, and carried the ball before finding Walker. Silva became the free man in this sequence, and Walker found his run in behind Barco.

City won a throw-in from the aforementioned situation, during which Foden drifted back, dragging Van Hecke with him. He then carried the ball into this space before finding Walker’s run behind Pedro. With Van Hecke lured into midfield, Walker located the unmarked De Bruyne, who found the net, reminiscent of Van Persie’s iconic header, to give City the lead.

When Baleba did indeed push higher to mark Rodri, it presented Kovačić with the chance to unsettle Brighton’s man-oriented defense. Initially positioned on the left flank, Welbeck was tasked with tracking Kovačić. However, he often dropped centrally into the space vacated by Rodri, effectively creating a gap between Brighton’s defensive and midfield lines. City’s dynamic front three capitalized on this space, executing quick one touch passes to progress into the final third. Welbeck, notably, also showed reluctance to track Kovačić as he ventured forward, allowing City to engineer several transitional movements to their advantage.

Minute 19: City’s offensive sequence. Silva drifted from the cover shadow of his marker to receive in space. Consequently, Pedro was pulled towards him, leaving Foden open in the pocket. City orchestrated a one-touch passing sequence, with De Bruyne releasing Kovačić, who initially moved centrally before making a penetrating run from a deeper position, which Welbeck didn’t track. Eventually, Álvarez had an opportunity after being played through by Kovačić.

Overall, City’s continuous rotations caused significant issues for Brighton. They found themselves torn between tracking players or maintaining compactness, as City overloaded the midfield with six, or at times, seven players. Associative play and intricate passing combinations became prevalent, while the fluidity in movement and passing differed from Manchester City’s typical style. The players’ ability to adapt and find solutions proved crucial, and they certainly flourished in this scenario.

Brighton trapped into Manchester City’s cage

Initially, City adopted a very similar approach out of possession when these two sides last met. On that occasion, Silva occupied the position behind the front two, whereas this time, Kovačić fulfilled that role, with Rodri slightly deeper, providing the midfield cover. However, what changed was Brighton’s approach, especially in the first phase.

Due to a lack of natural wingers capable of maintaining width, the hosts occasionally formed a 5+3 shape in the first line (including the goalkeeper), with Groß or Lallana dropping alongside Brighton’s usual double pivot. Essentially, Brighton attempted to draw City higher up the pitch, especially their pivots, and utilize third-man passing combinations to progress.

When Rodri pressed, it also provided Brighton with the space in midfield that helped them execute their typical artificial transitions. Consequently, rather than Rodri engaging in the press, City were content to use their wingers narrow to block passing lanes to Groß and Lallana, while the full-backs were tasked to jump in the wide areas. They effectively baited Brighton into playing to their full-backs, blocking central access, which allowed them to collapse on one side when the ball was played to the flanks.

Minute 24: City’s press. De Bruyne initiates the press with an angle to block the pass to Dunk, while Foden and Bernardo positioned themselves narrowly to defend the center. Baleba played a first-time pass to Barco, as Silva closed down the passing lane to Dunk. This acted as a trigger for Walker and City to converge on the left side, with De Bruyne shifting to mark Dunk, while Rodri intercepted Barco’s pass to Lallana, who found himself without options.

Eventually, City extended their lead through Phil Foden’s deflected free kick. Brighton then conceded a third goal within a matter of minutes, due to City’s aggressive press. It appeared that Guardiola’s men constructed a cage around Brighton’s midfield, leaving them struggling to find a way out. With Brighton attempting to draw City deeper, Barco’s careless loss of possession near the penalty area proved costly. The visitors effectively had five players in and around the box, including Walker, who pressed higher due to Barco’s positioning. Silva intercepted the loose pass, which then fell to Foden, allowing him to slot the ball into the back of the net.

Brighton consistently had a two-versus-two situation at the back that they could have exploited, yet they failed to capitalize despite creating the pathway to do so. Essentially, they continued to fall into City’s traps, and their decision-making ultimately proved costly in the first half.

Minute 17: Brighton bypassing City’s press. As City pushed numbers forward to close down the passing options, Steele opted for a long ball to Pedro, who won his aerial duel with Akanji. Simultaneously, Groß, positioned on the blindside of Rodri, made a run behind the defense to capitalize on Pedro’s flick-on, but Akanji’s recovery pace proved crucial.

In the second half, De Zerbi introduced Simon Adingra to provide width on the right side, alongside full-back Odel Offiah, who replaced Veltman. Brighton resorted to longer balls, aiming to exploit a two-versus-one overload on the right side, as City’s wingers remained narrow out of possession. Although they posed a threat on a few occasions, it appeared that City took the foot off the gas after taking a three-goal lead, which led to a couple of clear-cut chances.

Nevertheless, it was the visitors who scored the only goal of the half, capitalizing on Brighton’s man-oriented press (again) by utilizing Walker as an outlet. He outpaced Barco before setting up Álvarez, who ended his ten-game goal drought and effectively sealed a comfortable victory.

Takeaways

De Zerbi may attribute the team’s struggles to the club’s injury crisis, yet it seems evident that he remains reluctant to adapt to the limited quality at his disposal. Time and again, Brighton played into City’s hands during the first half, allowing the champions to capitalize on their vulnerabilities. Despite a notable improvement in the second half, where a more direct approach troubled City, it proved too little too late to salvage something.

Arsenal visited the Amex last week and secured a comfortable 3-0 victory, but City took it a step further. This fixture was considered a potential banana slip, yet City showed their prowess from the outset. Their fluidity in possession to exploit Brighton’s aggressive man-oriented approach was nothing short of impressive. While Phil Foden showcased his brilliance once again, Guardiola’s decision to stack the midfield with his technical stars deserves praise.

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