Manchester City vs Brighton
· De Zerbi vs Pep Guardiola
· Man to Man Press
· Progression Variations
· Doku vs Milner
· Brighton’s Reaction
[THREAD]
· De Zerbi vs Pep Guardiola
· Man to Man Press
· Progression Variations
· Doku vs Milner
· Brighton’s Reaction
[THREAD]
From the start of the game, Man City pressed Brighton high with a man-to-man press and forced Brighton to play direct.
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Against Man City’s M2M press, it’s very risky to pass it to Brighton’s double pivot (congested area), so Brighton could use them as decoys instead, to bait the press and open up the access to the front four in central areas.
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The timing of the pass to execute the build-up is important for Brighton’s De Zerbi.
In this example, Igor’s movement succeeded in baiting Alvarez, and Rodri was too late to close down Gross, this allowed Brighton to circulate the ball.
Dunk was also free after Haaland pressed Steele.
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Dunk was also free after Haaland pressed Steele.
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Both Gks helped the build-up, but there were some differences.
Steele was in the center, while Ortega was more on the right (as the extra CB), this allowed Man City to stretch the back line for the build-up.
(Ortega was also more advanced, while Steele was in the box).
Steele was in the center, while Ortega was more on the right (as the extra CB), this allowed Man City to stretch the back line for the build-up.
(Ortega was also more advanced, while Steele was in the box).
But with Brighton also using a man-to-man press, City also struggled to bypass the press.
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Brighton’s M2M press was very aggressive.
Igor (LCB) followed Alvarez who dropped deep to help the build-up.
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Igor (LCB) followed Alvarez who dropped deep to help the build-up.
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Ball-carrying like this example from Foden was very useful to bypass the press and create transitional moments/situations City could exploit.
Foden ➡️ Doku
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Foden ➡️ Doku
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Pep's Idea.
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As usual, City created the overloads on the left side.
They wanted to maximize Doku’s 1v1 ability by giving him space and supporting him from behind (like a cage).
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They wanted to maximize Doku’s 1v1 ability by giving him space and supporting him from behind (like a cage).
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Doku against Gross/Milner is a mismatch, and Man City exploited that.
(Baleba’s should’ve covered the cutback zone though)
(Baleba’s should’ve covered the cutback zone though)
There were so many 1v1 situations between Doku and Milner.
But the problem was Doku rarely created a chance from there.
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But the problem was Doku rarely created a chance from there.
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Doku.
(@markrstats)
(@markrstats)
Once Doku improves his decision-making, he will be far more dangerous.
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Baiting the press to deeper areas created a dilemma for Brighton’s press.
This was because it created more space between the lines and City have players like Doku and Haaland as the outlets for direct play.
This was because it created more space between the lines and City have players like Doku and Haaland as the outlets for direct play.
In this example, Welbeck wanted to press Ortega and block access to Stones, but Ortega succeeded in baiting him to press into deeper areas which then created more space for Stones.
This disrupted Brighton’s man-to-man press and City could progress.
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This disrupted Brighton’s man-to-man press and City could progress.
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Pep's approach was more flexible than De Zerbi's.
Man City's positional rotations helped them disrupt Brighton's M2M press. They wanted Doku to be positioned high while others helped the build-up, even Haaland.
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Man City's positional rotations helped them disrupt Brighton's M2M press. They wanted Doku to be positioned high while others helped the build-up, even Haaland.
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The positional rotations made it easier for City to progress and able to create some dangerous chances.
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Unlike City's flexible approach, Brighton was more rigid and waited for City to press the GK (Steele) because it could open up access for other players.
· Bernardo press Steele, Baleba ‘free’
· 3rd man combinations
· Progress through Baleba’s ball-carrying
· Mitoma’s individual brilliance
Brighton's 1st chance.
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· 3rd man combinations
· Progress through Baleba’s ball-carrying
· Mitoma’s individual brilliance
Brighton's 1st chance.
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Brighton’s 3-2-5 vs Man City’s 4-4-2
City’s defensive block was very disciplined to close down Brighton’s progression targets (ex: Joao Pedro and Gross) and force Brighton to restart the play.
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City’s defensive block was very disciplined to close down Brighton’s progression targets (ex: Joao Pedro and Gross) and force Brighton to restart the play.
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From a throw-in, Haaland punished Baleba's mistake to add the lead.
Brighton could find access to the front 4 after baiting the press, but they often failed to perform the final action to attack Man City in transition.
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This a great build-up from Brighton but City once again was able to delay the ball and recover quickly which prevented Brighton from attacking the space.
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Mitoma often moved from outside to inside, to create a passing lane and exploit the space between the lines.
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In the 2nd half, Brighton got more momentum and succeeded in creating dangerous chances.
Their man-to-man press forced Ortega to make a mistake.
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Their man-to-man press forced Ortega to make a mistake.
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Brighton then succeeded in scoring their only goal from a counterattack.
Mitoma showed his quality in the 1v1 situation and Ansu Fati was in a good position to score.
Mitoma showed his quality in the 1v1 situation and Ansu Fati was in a good position to score.
Silky🇯🇵
"We played like us in the second half but losing can happen - especially against Man City."
- De Zerbi
- De Zerbi
Pep also said this⬇️
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Man City currently has the longest home-winning runs with 21, more than any Premier League club.
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