Manchester City are well known for their tremendous skill and movement with the ball, but they have also been the Premier League’s best side without it this season.
Intelligent at reducing the space for opposition sides to play in, Pep Guardiola has focused on improving their defensive set-up.
No side faces fewer shots, and as a consequence City are conceding just 0.6 goals per match.
After 25 matches played, no other top-flight team had averaged less than one concession a match.
Shots faced and goals conceded comparison 2020/21
| Shots faced | Shots on target faced | Goals conceded | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 172 | Man City | 54 | Man City | 15 |
| Liverpool | 208 | Chelsea | 72 | Chelsea | 25 |
| Chelsea | 225 | Brighton | 81 | Brighton | 32 |
| Wolves | 273 | Wolves | 89 | Man Utd | 32 |
| Man Utd | 277 | Man Utd | 90 | Wolves | 32 |
*on 23 February
Apply the pressure
A key feature of City’s press is the use of a central midfielder to engage with opposition centre-backs.
Rather than getting a wide forward to drive in and apply pressure - in turn forcing the full-back behind him to push up as part of the chain – Guardiola prefers a box-to-box player, often Bernardo Silva, to form a front two.
A good example can be seen below against Liverpool, just prior to the turnover that created Ilkay Gundogan’s second goal.
Watch: Gundogan scores v Liverpool (YouTube)
Silva occupies the left-sided centre-back, Raheem Sterling pushes up on the other central defender, not in view, with Gabriel Jesus triggering the press from a central position.
With City’s other two midfielders pushed on and a compact back four in place there is no obvious outlet for Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
Laying traps
When City’s formation features a rotating false nine, it is not unusual for a pair of central midfielders to be the most advanced.
In the next example, Gundogan and Silva occupy an Arsenal back three which features Mohamed Elneny who has dropped in to create a 3v2 situation.
Deliberately not applying too much pressure to the man in possession, they lay a clever trap for Fernandinho to dispossess Granit Xhaka in a central 4v4.
This type of proactive play from one of their central midfielders is the norm.
Stepping forward to apply pressure at the right times, both Rodri and Gundogan have claimed 13 turnovers apiece inside the final third this term.
Most high turnovers won 2020/21
| Team | High turnovers |
|---|---|
| Liverpool | 241 |
| Man City | 233 |
| Brighton | 204 |
| Fulham | 196 |
| Leeds | 185 |
*on 23 February
When you consider how much time City spend in possession, their high turnover count is exceptional.
Their passing sequences begin further away from their own goal than every other side, apart from Liverpool on average.
This statistic further outlines how high up field they play as a team.
| Team | Start distance (m) |
|---|---|
| Liverpool | 44.9 |
| Man City | 44.9 |
| Man Utd | 42.9 |
| Brighton | 42.6 |
| Southampton | 42.5 |
*on 23 February
Since Tottenham Hotspur scored against City from a full-length breakaway in November, Guardiola’s side have been far more secure.
City's lack of shape allowed Spurs to manufacture a 3v3 in that rare loss, but they have learned from that experience and not conceded from such a situation since.
Full-backs Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko regularly tuck inside as auxiliary central midfielders alongside Rodri, creating a 2-3-5 formation when they are on the front foot.
You can see this framework below, when Spurs attempt to launch another counter against them in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
Spurs' game plan revolved around these situations, but Guardiola was shrewd enough to make sure five men were always behind the ball.
City’s determination to sprint towards their own goal and make up a narrow back four was also outstanding and very well controlled from this transition.
This was helped by the inverted starting positions of Cancelo and Zinchenko.
Just seconds after appearing stretched, they have slowed down the attack and forged a compact unit.
That drive, coupled with a modern positional approach, has made them so much less vulnerable to turnovers.
Conclusion
By focusing on City's off the ball strategies, Guardiola’s pragmatism has paid off this season.
City remain a joy to watch going forward, but the way they block off passing routes is significantly better and they are far less exposed to counters.
These tactical tweaks have made them a more rounded and difficult team to play against.
Also in this series
Part 1: Set-pieces the way forward for specialists Chelsea
Part 2: Kane's deeper role has added new dimension to Spurs
