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I’ve said it before: Pep has truly embraced Cruyff’s football legacy. We’ve seen a far more fluid structure this season. I wanted to outline some basic things I’ve noticed while watching Pep’s Manchester City this season.
1/7
1/7
The semi-back-3 build up is very interesting. Stones often drifts super wide, and Dias stays central as Zinchenko holds the left (CB) area. This causes the opp. to have to split apart and press less effectively if they want to press.
2/7
2/7
The two DMs is more like one DM and one roaming CM. Gündogan has played the latter role very well, and he rotates with the AM/ST, popping up in dangerous positions.
3/7
3/7
We often see Sterling start RW, and he likes to drift into an inside channel. Sometimes, KDB will overlap (most often, I’d say), but Cancelo is open to doing that from his Inv. FB position.
4/7
4/7
Foden plays as a natural winger out on the left, holding the width and waiting for through balls as the overload in midfield (which drifts wider) pulls the opp. RB out of position sometimes or shifts the opp. backline over.
5/7
5/7
The ST has a crucial role in that he must roam to pull the opp. out of position to create spaces for the midfielders to work in. Aguero would be perfect at this, but he has been injured and Gabriel Jesus hasn’t quite been that great. Thus, we’ve seen a false 9.
6/7
6/7
These are only basic principles/ideas on the pitch. This side has a lot of creative freedom, and it has been molded in a way that it now exploits transitions a whole lot better (in my opinion, the trajectory of the sport favors these more in the coming years).
7/7
7/7
Side note:
I would love some constructive criticism as I’m still learning match analysis. One factor I could use some help in is correlating data to what you see on the pitch.
I would love some constructive criticism as I’m still learning match analysis. One factor I could use some help in is correlating data to what you see on the pitch.
Though I am no analyst. Not at all.
