Premier League 2018/19: Manchester City vs Wolves

The Premier League clash between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers  and their respective master tacticians  was supposed to provide endless analysis. In the end, however, it was a rather disappointing game for football fans. You could blame the early red card received by Willy Boly for the notable superiority of Manchester City.

The reality is that up to the 19th minute, the hosts were in total control of the game, with Wolves showing absolutely no response to Guardiola’s domination. An easy 3-0 win for Manchester City keeps them closely trailing Liverpool, hoping for the league leaders to stumble before the end of the season.

Early red card finishes game that was never competitive

Although Manchester Citys possession was high at 74%, it wasnt far from their average. In the last calendar year, they boasted 64%, according to Wyscout. Wolves only had two shots in the whole game, both of them off target. This resulted in a very low xG figure of 0.05, way below the Wolves average of 1.43.

It was the lowest of a Manchester City opponent since the Carabao Cup game against third-tier Oxford United last August 2018. Despite averaging 460 passes per game in the last calendar year, in the game against Manchester City Wolves only attempted 238 passes, with 78.6% successful compared to an average of 84.5%.

This brief introduction tells a lot about a one-sided game that didn’t leave much for the analysis. Guardiola seems to have found a tactical set-up he feels comfortable with. Although he tends to change the tactical approach depending on the rival, we have seen some stability in the latest games in both the tactical disposition and the names chosen.

This is what Guardiola has felt more comfortable with historically since his Barcelona spell: two central defenders, two wing-backs that play high up the pitch, one central midfielder, two inside midfielders and three players in the forward line, two wide open and one centralized.

As Manchester City positioned themselves high up in the pitch, they focused their offensive movements on the left flank with Sane as the main weapon. At some points, there were almost five players high up the pitch.

Wolves showed a surprisingly passive defensive attitude, with their players not tightly marking Manchester City players and rather marking spaces over players. This is a crucial mistake considering not only the very high individual quality of Citys players, but also how high they play. These areas are where you should avoid giving them manoeuvrable spaces.