Shifting shapes: Pep’s subtle tweak that led to breaking down Everton’s disciplined low block

With the penultimate month of the 2020-21 season approaching, important clashes have been taking place across different competitions and one such clash was between the Premier League leaders Manchester City and top-four contenders Everton in the FA Cup sixth round.

Manchester City came into the clash in good spirits, having notched three consecutive wins across all competitions since their defeat in the Manchester derby. Everton on the other hand, suffered a defeat to Burnley in their most recent league game that dented their chances of securing a top-four spot. This tactical analysis will look at the tactics used by both managers, with our analysis aiming to find where the game was won or lost.

Lineups

Everton lined up in the 5-3-2 system that they have been using recently, especially since their famous win at Anfield last month. Carlo Ancelotti made four changes to the lineup that was defeated at Turf Moor last weekend. Jordan Pickford was out injured once again and was replaced by rookie keeper Joao Virginia. Seamus Coleman, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Yerry Mina were the other players to be drafted into the lineup.

Pep Guardiola himself made five changes to the side that defeated Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League. Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho, Aymeric Laporte, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Zack Steffen came into the XI, with a strong bench available if changes were needed.

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