Early scare but Pep’s changes helped City through

The second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City was played in Germany on Wednesday night. In the first leg, Edin Terzić sides came with good tactics and the mentality that surprised people. The Citizens merely won at the final stages of the game by the goal of Phil Foden.

Before the game, or even in the 20 minutes of the game, Dortmund might give the impression that they had the chance to qualify and facing Paris Saint-Germain. However, Pep Guardiola got his tactics right this time to grab the game in his own hand. Eventually, Manchester City won the tie with a 4-2 victory in aggregate.

City played better in this game compared to the previous one. The tactical analysis will show how the guests adjusted the game plan to minimize their weaknesses. This time, Terzić’s tactics were outplayed by Pep without workable solutions throughout the game.

Lineups

Terzić played the exact same formation as he did at the Etihad. Despite having more experiences, Thomas Meunier could not regain his place at the starting lineup. Meanwhile, the caretaker manager insisted on playing Emre Can alone at the midfield with Mahmoud Dahoud and Jude Bellingham playing higher. It was a bit of surprise as Thomas Delaney, who was better at defending did not start any of the game.

City also came with a similar formation but there were a few changes that should be noted. João Cancelo lost his place because of inconsistency after the international break. Oleksandr Zinchenko stepped up to play as the left-back. Another change was less obvious but proved to be vital – Kevin De Bruyne played higher as Bernardo Silva joined Rodrigo Hernández and İlkay Gündoğan at the midfield. It was a reverse setup compared to what they did in the previous game.