HomeZ OLD CATEGORIESEPLIndex Tactical ReportManchester City 2 Manchester United 3 | Tactical Analysis

Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3 | Tactical Analysis

The first league meeting of the Manchester clubs this season produced another game full of incidents which concluded with Manchester Utd departing with all three points. A scenario which would have seemed highly unlikely in the opening and closing 10minutes of the match.

Line Ups:-

Whilst there was a degree of certainty over the system Mancini would use, there was an element of debate over the starting line up. In total, the Italian made five changes from the side which drew at home to Everton with the most surprising being the inclusion of Mario Balotelli at the expenses of Carlos Tevez.

Man City Starting Line Up

Dzeko, Tevez, Kolarov, Maicon and Lescott all dropped out of the team to be replaced by Zabaleta, Nastasic, Aguero, Clichy and Balotelli.

It was the customary 4-2-3-1 from Manchester City, a formation which has served them well in the past but now appears to be encountering some difficulties.

The discussion from the red half of the city focused on what system Man Utd would use in light of their meek capitulation against their rivals during their last league visit to the Etihad. Would Manchester Utd again go with a more defensive formation or would they use the diamond in midfield that Ferguson has used on occasion this season?

In the end it was a straightforward 4-4-2 with both Van Persie and Rooney deployed high up the pitch.

Man Utd Starting Line Up

There were just three changes from the side which defeated Reading away. Lindegaard, Fletcher and Anderson were replaced by De Gea, Cleverly and Valencia.

The Key Battle – Narrow vs Wide and Manchester City’s Problem

This was a game where the key battle was about shape. Man City were narrow and overloaded the central midfield area whilst Man Utd sought to use width with Young and, particularly, Valencia wide.

Man City were the dominant side, as you would expect being at home, in the opening period of the game. They moved the ball well and with pace and intent.

A key aspect of Man City ’s game is the use of inverted wingers and the desire to control the centre of the field. Although appearing to be a 4-2-3-1, both wide players cut infield to flood the centre of the pitch giving Man City numerical superiority here. Further back, Yaya Toure pushes upfield from his deep starting position leaving Gareth Barry as the sole defensive midfield presence. It leaves Man City with something along the lines of a 4-2-2-2. Very string centrally but vulnerable in wide areas.

The mobility and interchange of the attacking trio behind the central striker is a key feature of their play. Silva, in particular, moves laterally, drifting into pockets of space. It becomes difficult for opponents to mark him. As the attacking trident also operate very narrowly, it is incumbent upon City’s full backs to provide width and push forward.

The key problem that Man City face is their inability to get back into position quickly during the transition from attack to defence. When Man City lose possession, too many players are caught high up the pitch. Whilst the counter attack is a problem for any team to an extent, Man City really seem to struggle to regroup defensively.

When City lose the ball Silva and Nasri are slow to move back into position whilst Barry is the deepest midfielder and also the least mobile. He wants to stay central despite the problems often being on the wings because the full backs are attacking.

It was an area that Man Utd exploited ruthlessly with the Man City left side attacked continually during the game.

Manchester United Take The Lead

The opening goal was Man Utd’s first real attack of the game and yet, it succinctly captured many of the problems which Man City face.

Man Utd Opening Goal

Van Persie drops deep and drags Kompany out of position. With Zabaleta already upfield, when Young spins and turns he can break into space. Toure is ahead of the ball in the centre and Barry is trying to get back into position. Neither Kompany or Zabaleta can recover and tackle Young as he cuts inward and passes to Rooney.

Rooney’s scuffed shot eventually trundled into the corner of the net for the opening goal.

The second goal again highlights the inability of Man city to recover their defensive shape. In the graphic below, the ball is played to Rafael on the right wing who has Valencia ahead of him. Already Barry and Silva are behind play and trying to catch up leaving Man Utd with a 2 on 1 situation against Clichy.

Man Utd Second Goal

Rafael reaches the goal line and cuts back for Rooney to slot home. Man Utd had taken a two goal lead from two simple moves exploiting the space which Man City were leaving vacant.

In the 34th minute Man City were caught out by a Man Utd counter attack. Although the move slowed down, when the ball was played right to Valencia, he was closed down by Barry. Despite having time to recover, Clichy had remained in the centre of the defence and failed to take up his correct position.

Next Page: Manchester City Respond, The Winning Goal & Conclusions – Click here to read or click on the page 2 button below…

chalkontheboots
chalkonthebootshttp://www.chalkontheboots.wordpress.com
No stereotypes. No cliches. No fuss. Just analysis with a Spanish flavour.
More News

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here