An over-conservative approach by Pep Guardiola prevented City from having the necessary impact his strategy required, eventually crumbling to a mix of individual mistakes, structural dilemmas, and Lyon’s clinical finishing. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. After convincingly knocking out Real Madrid in the Round of Sixteen, Manchester City were given the luxury […]
The scoreline was ultimately decided by two mistakes from Raphaël Varane, which allowed Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus to get on the scoresheet either side of Karim Benzema’s equalizer for Real Madrid. Despite Madrid’s goal, City were always the better team in the match, able to press effectively against Madrid’s buildup, and in the second […]
A wonderful sequence of buildup play put Arsenal 1-0 up in the first half. Manchester City dominated the ball, but were unable to break down Arsenal’s deep defense, despite Pep Guardiola’s tactical adjustments. Mikel Arteta’s side added a second goal with twenty minutes left, making City’s task almost insurmountable, and Arsenal eventually closed the game […]
Manchester City performed a guard of honour for Liverpool before the game, but there was no title procession for Liverpool once the game began. City had an attacking scheme designed to find weaknesses in Liverpool’s compact 4-3-3 system and overwhelmed Liverpool to take a 3-0 lead in the first half, with Kevin De Bruyne being […]
Predictably, City were able to press Chelsea in their own half and monopolize possession almost immediately in this match. The false nine role of Bernardo Silva and accompanying midfield arrangements posed an interesting prospect for Chelsea to deal with. Ultimately though, Chelsea came through with two decisive transition moments, firstly for Christian Pulisic’s goal in […]
Both teams came to the game with adjusted defensive schemes and mostly familiar attacking shapes. Arsenal kept things relatively even in the early stages before defensive errors from David Luiz helped City into a comfortable lead, and the defender getting sent off on top of that. From this point, City could pick Arsenal apart with […]
Top teams’ ability to progress the ball becomes increasingly scrutinized in modern football due to the continued improvement of the defensive systems they face. This analysis outlines the buildup strategies of seven of Europe’s elite teams, and briefly discusses some of the trends observed within. Written by Josh Manley. Defending and pressing in modern football […]
Manchester City had the majority of the ball and at times outplayed Manchester United in midfield. Once they reached the final third, City lacked ideas against United’s five-man defense though. At the other end they struggled to deal with United’s direct passing and counterattacks. In the end United won 2-0 with both goals involving errors […]
Sheffield Wednesday’s man-marking system did a good job at congesting spaces for the attackers in the first half, achieving an empty scoresheet very few would have expected. That was until City varied their movements, triggering continuous decisional crises for the opposition, ultimately ensuring a deserved victory shortly after the break. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Aston Villa’s defensive system collapsed when two goals in rapid succession stunned Villa, who were then able to climb back up the ladder by pulling one back. Eventually, City simply proved to be too good, as Villa encountered its own strategic issues. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi. Following the weekend’s events – […]