Manchester City found it tough to create clear chances against United’s deep defense in the first half and had some minor scares on the counterattack due to the speed of United’s strikers. However, once they found the breakthrough in the second half thanks to Bernardo Silva, City had relatively little trouble seeing the game out, […]

Manchester City scored early through Phil Foden, but struggled to break down Tottenham Hotspur’s 5-3-2 defensive block. Pochettino’s clever formation choice also proved to be useful against City’s 4-1-4-1 high press, until Paulo Gazzaniga’s passing ability was exposed. Tactical analysis and match report by Om Arvind. Pep Guardiola’s legacy is under some serious pressure, whether […]

Tottenham went through to the Champions League semi finals after Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical choice led to a record-breaking opening stage that produced five goals in twenty-one minutes. Despite gradually gaining control and having reached the score line that would see them through, Manchester City found themselves at the wrong end of two VAR decisions and […]

Manchester City were nowhere near their accustomed attacking flair as Pep Guardiola’s choice of a double pivot led to a lot of unambitious possession play. Tottenham successfully stifled City’s midfield, and despite losing their talisman, they managed to capitalize on Manchester City’s weak link and get an important first leg victory. Tactical analysis and match […]

It’s only February, but Manchester City have already won their second trophy of the season. However, winning this final was by no means a walk in a park. Kepa Arrizabalaga’s on-pitch antics and his refusal to be substituted will probably make the headlines, but whoever looks past that will see a decent performance by Chelsea. […]

All the traits that got Schalke in the Champions League last season – passionate and disciplined defending paired with quick counterattacks and dangerous set-pieces – made life difficult for Manchester City. Guardiola’s side was not capable of creating many goal scoring opportunities with their center-focused approach. To win, they needed a free-kick goal and the […]

In a game that was essentially over after twenty-five minutes, Manchester City overwhelmed Chelsea in all phases of play. Agüero was key in overcoming Chelsea’s press, Jorginho was pressed out of the game, and City efficiently took advantage of Chelsea’s individual mistakes in defense. Despite Chelsea’s best efforts and a more relaxed City after the […]

Apart from a few good counterattacks, Everton did not trouble City’s defense at all. Their impressive defensive shape did partly nullify City for large parts of the match. Especially their very organized midfield set-up hindered the opponents. As for the visitors, they created a lot of good opportunities by stretching the play horizontally, creating multiple […]

An early goal from Manchester City seemed to have ended the game before it even began, until Arsenal struck back from a set piece. The match hung in the balance before Agüero grabbed his second, right before half-time. That goal kicked City into another gear and they easily secured their victory over the next forty-five […]

Huddersfield’s shape against the ball was not enough to stop Manchester City’s attack despite a very strong defensive approach. Guardiola’s men were very passive in the first forty-five minutes, but got into the groove of things in the second half to triumph over Huddersfield. Tactical analysis by Chris Baker. Caretaker manager Mark Hudson made six changes […]