The Champions League semi-finals saw both Manchester City and Chelsea come through comfortably to make it an all-English final at the end of the month in the premier European club competition. This, in turn, raised the spotlight on the following weekend’s league game between these two sides, which was now being seen as a dress rehearsal for the final in three weeks. There were other subplots in play too – Manchester City could clinch the Premier League title with a win, while Chelsea would strengthen their chances of making the top four with a win of their own as well.
This tactical analysis piece will look at how both sides approached this match, and also explain what may seem to have been some odd tactics by Pep Guardiola in particular.
Lineups
Guardiola made a whole host of changes from the side that defeated Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, with a change in formation as well, which effectively meant that this lineup was quite different to the one he is expected to put out in the Champions League final. City switched to a back three, with Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake coming in alongside Ruben Dias, while Benjamin Mendy and Joao Cancelo were the wing-backs. Rodri was the sole recognized midfielder in this XI, with Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero all coming into the side, leaving fans guessing as to what the shape of the team would be prior to kick-off.
There were no surprises of this sort from Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea lined up in their usual 3-4-3. The only personnel changes of note included Thiago Silva sitting out after his midweek exertions, while Billy Gilmour made his second consecutive league start in midfield alongside N’Golo Kante. Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech flanked Timo Werner.
