Death By a Thousand Passes: How Manchester City asserted total control at Old Trafford

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Similarly, there’s more than one way to beat a football team. Especially, if that team is lacking structure.

Manchester United’s humiliating loss to Liverpool was an illustration of how at the highest level, when individual qualities meet, a structured side will have the upper hand over an unstructured side.

It was as if Liverpool gunned down the Manchester United team in 45 minutes. Quick, clean and to the point. Against City, it was another form of annihilation. United were Locked up inside City’s passing mazes as the oxygen levels dropped minute by minute, until the ticker hit 90 and there’s no oxygen left. Manchester United were out.

“We play a different way because I am from Catalonia and he’s (Jurgen Klopp) from Germany. Maybe our grew up (bringing up), our mentality, our build up as coaches is the different concepts.” Pep Guardiola said after the game when he was asked about that Liverpool win at Old Trafford.

Going into the game, Manchester City expected their city rivals to continue with the 5 at the back they played against Tottenham Hotspur. United did that with the addition of Mason Greenwood dropping onto Rodri for the shape to be 5–3–1–1 out of possession.

City meanwhile were positioned in a 4–1–3–2 shape in possession, with the two players in the most advanced line — Gabriel Jesus and Phil Foden — extremely wide as seen below.

The notable aspect in the game was where the trio in midfield ahead of Rodri positioned themselves. Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne constantly positioned themselves between United’s defence and midfield. Initially, they started there but then dropped into free spaces inside United’s midfield line….

….or either side of it as De Bruyne dropped here. With City’s trio initially behind United’s midfield line — and in their blind spot, the United midfielders can’t see the movements because their eyes are forward, on the ball. Here, De Bruyne drops to receive the ball from Kyle Walker, the split second advantage De Bruyne has is because he started the run before Fred even realized there was a run. That, as well as Jesus’ positioning which pins Luke Shaw and doesn’t allow him to move forward to press De Bruyne. And as one movement from the trio is happening, another is building up. In the bottom left of the screen you can see Gundogan marked by Eric Bailly….

….then as De Bruyne receives the ball and returns it to Walker, Gundogan was dropping to receive the ball behind United’s midfield line. Walker then plays the pass into Rodri….

….who then finds the dropping Gundogan who is completely free to receive the ball inside United’s midfield line.

The domino effect here is that Scott McTominay has to shift across to pressure Gundogan, and accordingly Fred shifts towards Bernardo Silva. Meaning that De Bruyne is free to receive the pass with Shaw pinned by Jesus.

From there, the Belgian managed to find Bernardo Silva facing forward in-between the lines. Bernardo Silva’s shot went wayward, but it was an early indication of how City were willing to play through United’s block.

Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne’s positioning and movements were smart. Initially, they were close to the United center backs…..

……then when there was a passing angle, they dropped to provide passing options.

They dropped very deep to not allow the United center backs to move out with them, yet still always behind the United midfield line….

…..who then has to react, freeing up one of the trio to receive in space and create. From this sequence, De Bruyne should have found Foden’s run at the far post, but the cross was too heavy.

Another example here shows Bernardo Silva behind the midfield line and close to Victor Lindelof.

Even before the ball is played towards him or to the right side, Bernardo Silva is two steps ahead and drops into the free space on the side of United’s midfield line. Meanwhile, every United player in the picture has his eyes on the ball apart from Shaw who is full of Jesus.

Now once City decide to shift the ball across, Bernardo Silva is in the perfect position free from any marker — yet out of the picture here. Foden plays the ball into Gundogan….

….then the German finds Bernardo Silva free on the outside of Fred. Again, while movement A was happening, movement B was in the build up. De Bruyne is now marked by Bailly….

…..but when Bernardo Silva shifts inside he drags Fred and McTominay towards him while Gundogan makes a forward run to drag Bailly away from De Bruyne. This leaves De Bruyne free to receive the pass as Bruno Fernandes was dragged out earlier to support Aaron Wan Bissaka against Foden and Joao Cancelo.

Unfortunately for City, De Bruyne’s through ball towards Foden was again a bit heavy.

Not all passes were heavy though and City did manage to create from these movements. In the 28th minute City retrieved the ball back and their highest player up the pitch was Bernardo Silva.

Then as always, Bernardo Silva dropped from behind United’s midfield line into the space inside it. The starting positions of these drops makes it impossible for United’s midfield to react quickly because initially the run starts from their blind spot. Here, Rodri managed to find Bernardo Silva with a pass….

…..and as seen in the above examples one of the United players gets dragged to the dropping players, leaving another City midfielder free. In this case it was Gundogan…

…..who managed to play this line breaking pass into the path of Foden’s run.

Foden then squared it to De Bruyne whose shot was blocked by Shaw, before David de Gea saved Jesus’ shot. A clear goal-scoring opportunity starting from the off ball movement of City’s midfielders.

City’s second goal as well started from this off ball movement. At first, Gundogan is high up the pitch next to United’s center backs.

Then as City move the ball, Gundogan keeps dropping but still behind the United midfield line.

Eventually his time comes when a passing combination including Walker and Jesus finds him free behind Fred.

From there, Gundogan plays the ball to Bernardo Silva….

…..who then shifts the ball to the other side towards Cancelo before making a run behind United’s defence to meet Cancelo’s cross and make it 2–0.

The initial positioning of Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne and their off-ball movements was key to how City penetrated United’s block and created chances. More importantly, these movements allowed City to control the game as they constantly provided free passing options for the player on the ball.

And no wonder Pep wanted to maintain the same control in the second half. “I ask (the players) in the half time more passes. We had to pass more the ball. So when you attack a little bit quicker then you need to attack, they will attack you much much quicker. In the transitions they are much better. So we have to rifle together and with that is more passes, more passes, more passes. Maybe we don’t have a lot of chances in this way but the chances are more clear and enough to win the games.”

To create more passes, the positioning and movements needed to be perfect and that’s what City’s midfield trio had done all game.