Chapter 443: Guardiola's Tactical Innovation and Mourinho's Response
Three defensive midfielders?
Seeing Manchester City's starting lineup, Mourinho couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Guardiola's arrangement indeed surprised him. Typically, Manchester City's midfield consisted of the Kroos-Kanté combination, with an attacking group of Lin Quan, De Bruyne, David Silva, and Agüero up front. With an additional defensive midfielder now, Guardiola had to drop one of the forwards. So, who was taken out? The answer was Agüero!
City's formation looked strange, appearing as a 4-3-3, but the "3" wasn't the usual two wingers plus a central striker. Instead, it was two attacking midfielders plus a free role. What kind of formation was this? Mourinho couldn't make sense of it, having never seen such an arrangement before. Without a central striker, who would the attacking midfielders pass to?
Spectators and TV commentators also noticed City's peculiar formation.
"It seems Guardiola wants to experiment with his new tactics against Manchester United. I wonder what surprises this new strategy will bring?"
Indeed, Guardiola had a knack for innovating, especially in crucial matches, making this highly anticipated game even more intriguing.
Guardiola didn't see his approach as problematic. The reason for not fielding a traditional striker was simply that he felt it was unnecessary. Without a tall striker, Agüero's role in a crowded penalty area would be limited. Mourinho's fast counter-attacks posed a greater threat to City. Thus, Guardiola opted to strengthen his defense by adding a defensive midfielder to curb United's counter-attacks.
This adjustment wouldn't necessarily weaken City's offensive capability. Guardiola had meticulously planned the attacking strategies for this formation. He eagerly anticipated how his tactics would fare in the match, hoping it would become a regular option if successful.
At 19:00, the match began. United had possession, but as soon as they kicked off, City's players immediately pressed the ball carriers. This pressing wasn't just individual efforts but a coordinated team tactic. City quickly pushed up the pitch, initiating high-pressing in United's half.
United's players, unaccustomed to such intense pressing from the start, soon lost possession. Mourinho remained indifferent on the sidelines. He knew Guardiola's philosophy aimed at controlling the game, while his own prioritized efficiency. Losing possession was expected; the key was how City would attack once they had the ball.
With this in mind, Mourinho sat up straight, intently watching the game.
From the stands, United fans could clearly see City's players maintaining a tight formation as they advanced. The backline pushed past the halfway line, the midfielders were positioned centrally in their own half, while the attacking midfielders had already entered United's final third.
City's six midfield and attacking players effectively sandwiched United's midfield, severing the passing routes between United's defense and midfield. Almost every United midfielder had one or two City players marking them closely. This forced United's defenders to avoid forward passes, isolating their attackers from the play.
Mourinho anticipated this and signaled his forwards to drop back and support the midfield, stabilizing the situation before launching attacks. He wasn't concerned about maintaining possession; efficiency was key. A single successful counter-attack could decide the match, and aesthetics were secondary.
Seeing Mourinho's calm demeanor, United's fans also relaxed. Although City controlled the game, they hadn't yet created any threatening chances, so there was no immediate cause for concern.
As usual, United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was present. Initially shocked by United's unusual formation and aggressive tactics, he even forgot to chew his gum. But as United stabilized, preventing City from capitalizing, he relaxed and resumed chewing.
Under Mourinho, United's performance had improved significantly this season, despite competing on multiple fronts. Though Ferguson's coaching philosophy differed greatly from Mourinho's, he acknowledged that Mourinho's methods were effective for the current United, which was what mattered. In hindsight, Ferguson regretted not choosing Mourinho earlier instead of Moyes and Van Gaal, whose tenures had left United in disarray, allowing City to rise unchallenged.
However, Ferguson also recognized that even if he hadn't retired, it would have been challenging to suppress City given both teams' trajectories in his final years. Money wasn't everything, but without it, nothing was possible. City's rise was primarily due to two factors: having money and making the right purchases.
In the early years, City spent lavishly on many stars, often with little return. The money was spent, but the results were lacking, and they were mocked for repeatedly failing in the Champions League group stages. Without Lin Quan's arrival, City might still have risen but not as swiftly. Lin Quan provided the impetus for their ascent, while Guardiola's arrival gave them direction, steering the team like a great ship.
City had been strong in previous seasons, but under Guardiola, they now displayed unprecedented dominance.
After a few minutes into the match, it became clear that City's innovative tactics were working effectively. With their high pressing and tight formations, they dominated possession and stifled United's play. United, on the other hand, struggled to adapt to City's relentless pressure and fluid movement.
The spectators and pundits alike watched in fascination as City controlled the game, their unique formation and strategy unfolding brilliantly on the pitch. Guardiola's tactical ingenuity was on full display, turning the Manchester Derby into a showcase of footballing innovation.
Under Pellegrini, Manchester City had moments of brilliance but also periods of inconsistency. Their form was not stable, and at times, the defensive issues forced front players like Lin Quan to desperately score to keep up. However, under Guardiola, all three lines of City's squad were well-adjusted. At this moment, City's attacking and defensive capabilities were among the best in the top five leagues.
This season, City's goals conceded were very few, and the young defenders had developed rapidly, especially the Dutchman Virgil van Dijk. With accumulating experience and continuous growth, Van Dijk now had an imposing presence on the field. His one-on-one defending was highly successful, rarely allowing forwards to get past him. Thanks to his outstanding performances at City, Van Dijk not only got called up to the latest Dutch national team but also secured a starting spot, becoming the defensive linchpin of the Oranje.
According to the latest transfer market values, Van Dijk's worth skyrocketed from 6 million euros when he joined City to 50 million euros. It's well known that for young players, if other teams want to buy them, they would need to offer at least 1.5 times their transfer market value. This means that any team looking to sign Van Dijk from City would have to bid at least 75 million euros! Such a price would set a new record for defender transfers. However, given Guardiola's high regard for Van Dijk, it's unlikely City would sell him, even for a high price.
Besides Van Dijk, Sir Alex Ferguson was also envious of two other young defenders at City: Antonio Rüdiger and Joshua Kimmich. Kimmich, in particular, amazed Ferguson with his talent. With a high football IQ, excellent movement, solid fundamentals, and strong mental attributes, coupled with Guardiola's meticulous coaching, Kimmich was bound to become a world-class midfielder.
In contrast, Ferguson looked at his own squad and felt a gap. Players like Martial, Fellaini, and Herrera seemed a notch below City's midfielders. United did have talented midfielders like Juan Mata, but he had clear weaknesses: poor physicality, limited running capability, and weak ball protection. During his early years at Valencia, Mata had good explosiveness and could evade defenders. However, with age and injuries, his dribbling became less effective, with fewer impressive moves.
In this match, City's high pressing tactics made it hard for Mata to hold the ball. His teammates were also hesitant to pass to him. Without possession, Mata became nearly invisible on the field. Ferguson speculated that Mourinho might soon realize Mata's ineffectiveness and consider substituting him.
Mourinho had indeed noticed Mata's awkward position but wasn't planning to replace him immediately. City dominated possession, and United had limited opportunities to hold the ball. As long as Mata could seize a chance to make a crucial pass, Mourinho would consider him the key to victory, regardless of his earlier performance. However, it was uncertain whether Mata could seize such opportunities.
After 15 minutes in the first half, City had already taken three shots, while United hadn't managed a single attempt. This made the fans uneasy. Although they knew Mourinho favored a defensive counter-attacking strategy, all they saw was defense, with no counter-attacks. If United couldn't create threatening counter-attacks soon, they would be overwhelmed by City's relentless pressure.
Mourinho, unfazed by the fans' concerns, saw the shot count but remained calm. As long as City didn't score, nothing changed. Besides, City's attacks hadn't truly threatened United's goal, so he stayed composed. In his view, City's intense offensive efforts would eventually tire them, creating the perfect moment for United to counter-attack. Mourinho eagerly awaited that moment to see if City could withstand United's response.
Despite being under siege, United's coach remained calm. Similarly, Guardiola saw no reason to be unsettled. Although City hadn't scored, and their shots lacked threat, he remained unworried. If they didn't score, they'd keep shooting until they did. As for United's counter-attacks, Guardiola was confident his team could handle them.
Both managers seemed to be waiting for City's attack to end. On the field, the experienced Bastian Schweinsteiger anticipated the situation and positioned himself near Kevin De Bruyne. In the 17th minute, David Silva's unsuccessful dribble led to an obvious pass to De Bruyne, which Schweinsteiger intercepted. Schweinsteiger looked up, ready to pass to a teammate upfield. However, his passing lanes were blocked by City's midfielders, and a direct pass to the forwards would result in an offside trap.
As he hesitated, De Bruyne and Lin Quan pressed him. Schweinsteiger had no choice but to pass to the nearby Mata. Mata, with a broader vision, saw an opportunity but before he could pass, Lin Quan intercepted. Familiar with Lin Quan's defensive prowess, Mata quickly passed forward to Martial. Martial, known for his speed and wing cuts, posed a threat to City if he received the ball. However, the linesman raised the offside flag as soon as Martial received the pass, falling into City's offside trap.