Premier League 2022/23: How Pep’s new-look Man City cruised past West Ham’s rigid low block – tactical analysis

New season, fresh hope and great expectations. The Premier Leagues final game of the round upon its highly-anticipated return saw West Ham United host champions Man City at the London Stadium. This fixture has proven to be a frustrating one for Pep Guardiolas side over the past two campaigns, with both occasions ending as draws. City particularly struggled in last seasons contest back in May, salvaging a 2-2 result after going down 2-0, a point that ultimately helped them see off Liverpool and clinch their fourth title in five years.

David Moyes and the West Ham faithful were hoping for more of the same, but Guardiolas tactical adjustments from the previous meeting caught the Hammers boss off-guard as City swept the home team aside. Pep introduced a new system that West Ham did not anticipate and simply could not cope with.

It was debutant Erling Haaland who bagged both goals to introduce himself in style and send shockwaves around the country. The link-up play between the Norwegian striker and Kevin De Bruyne was devastating. The tweet from De Bruyne post-match was equally as powerful: Premier League, welcome to Erling Haaland!

This tactical analysis will look at the tactics adopted by Man City on Sunday afternoon. The analysis will highlight how Citys positioning and direct approach dismantled their opponents as they cruised to an impressive opening day victory.

Lineups and formations

Beginning with the hosts, West Ham played in a 4-2-3-1 formation that we mostly saw last season. Łukasz Fabiański started between the posts but was replaced by Alphonse Areola after picking up an injury in the first half. Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna missed out with injuries which meant that Ben Johnson played alongside Kurt Zouma at centre-back. Michail Antonio lead the line with new signing Gianluca Scamacca only making the bench.

On paper, City played in their usual 4-3-3 system with İlkay Gündoğan and Phil Foden replacing Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez from last weekends Community Shield defeat at the King Power Stadium. Erling Haaland started up front, making his Premier League debut. On the pitch, however, Peps men lined up in a 2-3-4-1 system for big chunks of the game. Kyle Walker and João Cancelo dropped inside to form a midfield trio with Rodri, while Gündoğan and De Bruyne pushed up into the half-spaces to support Haaland. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden were tasked with providing the width.

Citys set-up

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