Watford’s rope-a-dope tactic unable to stop Sterling Express

Pep Guardiola met Javi Gracia once again after City’s 2-1 win over Watford in December. This time, however, both teams had different priorities to target considering their positions in the Premier League. City were looking to win their sixth consecutive game to hold a maintain their advantage over Liverpool, while Watford sought to maintain their position in seventh.

Manchester City hosted Watford before important fixtures outside the Premier League for both teams. The Etihad turf will need to be raked and forked again before their Champion’s League tie against Schalke tomorrow. On the other hand, Watford, with a positive run in the FA Cup, will prepare to face Crystal Palace this weekend. Inevitably, using the squads economically would also be the focus of this game for both managers.

In this tactical analysis we see how Watford deployed a rope-a-dope tactic to face league front-runners Manchester City.

Lineups

Both managers stuck to their working formations (4-3-3 for Guardiola and 4-1-4-1 for Gracia). However, their objectives of squad rotation and resting their players were reflected in their selections.

Guardiola was without Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne through injury. He benched Laporte and gave skipper Vincent Kompany important minutes for his rhythm after a return from injury. Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sané were also seen on the bench to share minutes with Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling respectively.

Watford’s main men Troy Deeney and ex-Barcelona forward Gerard Deulofeu were missing from the starting line-up ahead of the FA Cup. Javi Gracia had them on bench though, as part of a plan B. Étienne Capoue donned the captain’s armband after missing the previous December fixture against City due to suspension.

Tactical approach

Guardiola has reiterated many times in his press conferences about his disinclination to change his aggressive attacking approach. He needed his squad to be in their best shape for Tuesday’s Champions League second leg. Thus, it was best for City to thrive in a consistent attacking phase in their opponent’s half. They maintained possession without spending energy on transitions, similar to the way they have approached most teams in the league.