preface
Unconsciously, the Premier League has entered the final stage, and the 38 rounds of the game have less than 8 games left to win the league.
Will Manchester City at the top of the table defend their league title, or will Liverpool, which is just one point behind in the table, come to the top again?
From a competitive point of view, both teams have the ability to compete for the championship and are also very tight on the points. The direct dialogue in the 32nd round of the Premier League can be said to be related to the championship competition throughout the season.
In the end, Manchester City shook hands with Liverpool at home with a 2-2 score, and the process of the game was very open and closed, which made the fans feel very enjoyable.
What are the technical and tactical characteristics behind the "Earth Derby", which is known as the "high-quality game for mankind", that are worth analyzing after the game?
This article will analyze and summarize the tactical game between the two sides in this game.
Walker changed his normal and bold attack, and Manchester City set the tone of the game with a symmetrical attack
In City's attacking system, right-back Walker usually acts as an incoherent drag-and-playing ball defender, and he does not need to put up and down assists like a traditional assist full-back in Guardiola's attacking system.
But in this game, Walker changed the norm, repeatedly pulling the edge and running without the ball in the depth direction of the game, impacting Liverpool's defensive line behind him.
Walker can use his speed to give City the advantage of time in attack, thus playing a rapid forward penetration combination, and he echoes left-back Cancelo to form a symmetrical attacking form on the flanks.
Cancelo is more likely to break through on the wing with the winger's style of play, or choose to contact his own winger or full-back with a diagonal line of 45 degrees, while Walker directly uses the no-ball impact play, using Liverpool's space behind him to make a fuss.
From Guardiola's use of Walker's arrangement, it is not difficult to see Guardiola's game idea in this game: he gave up the previous pass-based idea and changed to Liverpool's best "grasp the conversion" game strategy.
High defensive + fast transitions, the final presentation of "human high-quality matches"
The defence starts from the high post, led by the forward, the midfield line moves forward quickly "paired", and the defender line is led by the center-back, in unison, ready to create offside.
This is the overall idea of the most popular high-level oppression in world football today, which strives to cut off the ball in the opposing half, thereby shortening the offensive distance, and playing a high-quality attack or playing more or less when the opponent's defensive number is small and the organization is chaotic.
This is the future development idea of modern football, whether it is Manchester City or Liverpool, in this game, in the defensive end, it is a high defense starting from the forward, and there are few deep defenses to defend the position and carry out full defense.
Only when the physical fitness is in a bottleneck period will the two sides choose a relatively conservative defensive strategy.
Manchester City were slightly higher than Liverpool in passing coordination, and Guardiola took the initiative to choose the "play conversion" game strategy and insisted on the whole game, which caught Liverpool off guard.
In the transition between attack and defense, De Bruyne's ability to advance with the ball and deliver threatening passes in confrontations allows for a greater threat in the rhythm of the game that transitions quickly.
De Bruyne was able to find a breakthrough in the slow pace of trench warfare, and the more threatening he became in the counterattack (the more empty space there was).