The first week of the UEFA Champions League featured Manchester City facing Porto at Etihad Stadium. This game was the return to the big stage for the Portuguese team after winning the double last year. For the home side, Pep Guardiola was in his 5th year in charge, hoping to give the Citizens the first European title.
In this tactical analysis, we will dive deep into the wide range of tactics used by Pep when in possession to break compact defences. This analysis will also show how did Porto manage to nullify the Citizen’s tactical prowess. Pep teams keep showing flaws in their defence, and we will expose those weaknesses unveiled by Porto.
Lineups
Pep lined up a 4-3-3 formation making only two subs from their win against Arsenal in the Premier League. Èric Garcia took Nathan Aké’s position pairing the newcomer Rúben Dias as centre-backs. The second change came at midfield with İlkay Gündoğan in Phil Foden’s position. The front three remained unchanged with Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Agüero, and Raheem Sterling as the captain.
On the visitors, Sérgio Conceição settled a defensive 5-4-1 formation for this clash. Six Champions League debuts started, including Malang Sarr in the defensive line. Captain Pepe commanded the defensive five-man line. Sérgio Oliveira and Mateus Uribe formed the midfield line as holding midfielders supporting Luis Díaz and Fábio Vieira as wide-mids. Moussa Marega, with already 2 goals in this season, started as the lone striker.
