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 – […]
A conservative City was easily neutralized by a solid Real Madrid team in an encounter that saw both sides spar out until the home side’s fortunate goal triggered Guardiola’s reaction. With all guns out, Real Madrid were no match for City, slowly crumbling as the visitors rose to the top of the Bernabéu. Tactical analysis […]
Club football has entered its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. With just two games left to play in the first knockout round, let’s focus on Wednesday’s ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions League. Article by Sander IJtsma, José Pérez, K.T. Stockwell and Kareem Bianchi. Real Madrid […]
In terms of the balance of play and the result, this game was reminiscent of the earlier clash between these sides this season, when City dominated but were unable to win. Guardiola’s side set up with a left side overload in attack and were able to break through Spurs time and time again, but unable […]
Pep Guardiola experimented with an unorthodox interpretation of a 3-4-2-1 system as City hosted United in the EFL Cup. Although City dominated the early proceedings, United opened the scoring through Nemanja Matić, after which City showed some nervousness in their play and made some clumsy errors. Nevertheless, City were still the overall better team in […]
Aston Villa’s trepidation at going head-to-head with Manchester City proved prophetic as Pep Guardiola’s visitors demolished the home side in a stunning performance at Villa Park. Faced with a nightmarish injury list, Dean Smith could perhaps be forgiven for throwing in the towel, yet the manner of the defeat raises serious questions about the home […]
Manchester United were thoroughly outplayed as City were able to create overloads in midfield as well as finding plenty of space to progress the ball on the right flank. In the second half United changed their setup, which improved their play in and out of possession, but it was not enough to recover from the […]
City’s domination culminated as Guardiola’s back three guaranteed his side the necessary solutions to face recent issues. Meanwhile, an uninspiring Everton side was shown the door without leaving its mark. Guardiola and Ancelotti’s first encounter in the Premier League, unsurprisingly, saw the former manager win the chess match. Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem […]