For real, i become a big fan of this channel after I watched a couple of videos, but today he forgot the Chelsea related video, I was like Where is that Chelsea video??? Tell us more about the Italian dish that Maresca is cooking, and why Gusto can’t execute the plan even though he understands it by getting to the right space.
Rodri’s injury affecting Man City reminds me of when van dijk got injured. Suddenly, Liverpool were much more exposed and the defensive weaknesses in the tactics (e.g. the fearsome flying fullbacks) were suddenly much more obvious and easier to exploit.
It was every centre back who was injured, and Fabinho, who was 4th choice cb. Henderson and Gini played at centre back, but played too deep cos they were slow, so the rest of the team were pressing leaving a huge gap
Liverpool were still top of the league in January, months after Van Dijks injury. They ended up with every CB injured, and two DM's who dropped into CB also got injured, so they had to sign two players to play CB (one of whom got injured and never played) 😂
These are valid points, but Rodri is hardly the only Man City defensive player injured at the moment… Van dijk was critical for Liverpool, Rodri is critical for Man City 🤷♂️
I don’t think it was the van dijk injury that caused that, it was more likely the lack of intensity in pressing that meant teams could exploit the high line. If you remember, Liverpool ended the season they won the league in really poor form, losing 3 in 4 before covid and then struggled after. Also the villa 7-2 game happened with van dijk playing at the start of next year, and their form was poor. Then at the end of that year, Fabinho went back into midfield and, with Nat Phillips and rhys Williams as centre backs, they won 7 of the last 8 and looked back to their best with pressing as well. All without van dijk
@@conallfarquhar8069you would be alone in that assessment, as stupid as it is wordy. Liverpool were top of the league before VVD’s injury. They finished 3rd without him. The end.
As a Brighton fan I've been enjoying all the love for us beating City, but I do wish people talked more about the fact that our 31-year old manager with no top flight experience just outcoached the greatest manager of all time in his first season in the Prem. I think Tony Bloom has a factory where he rolls these dudes off the assembly line whenever they need a new manager.
he's doing excellently but your real strength is your squad. most stocked midtable team in years, better than the one newcastle got 4th with. once you realise Welbeck is horrible & play Pedro, Mitoma, Adingra then a CL charge is possible
I thought you were pretty poor against Newcastle and very very lucky to win and hadn't seen many other games so was shocked to see how well you are doing
Yep they used to concede 1 2 and then scores 3 4 and win the game but now it doesn't looks like only Attackers problem, their Defense became more worse and more on that players like Savio not being creative and Senior players like Foden underperforming is the reason why they're not scoring more Goals
It's interesting how the absence of Rodri is the simple answer to why City are playing poorly and everyone accepts it. If any other club lost one player and then lost 4 on the bounce, the media would say that's not a good enough excuse.
Its just that he got mc to a 73 unbeaten streak, so the idea that the team loses simply bc he is out can be understandably point to that. People like to simplify problems and overlook how City is losing KDB -their playmaker - and 4 of their best defenders. Also Foden and Walker is having their worst stat to a season too.
@@dustinmartin6524balon dor winner 😂 like that means f all, I'm surprised they moved on from Messi, was expecting him to keep getting that in his retirement home
Last 78 games with Rodri present: 1 loss. Last 27 games without Rodri present: 9 losses. Think it's a legit excuse. But if City keeps on losing at a significant rate, then it'll cease to be a viable excuse. Rodri's out for the season, so any extended losing and the blame will shift (rightly) to the manager and players not being able to adapt to such an important loss. In the meantime, you have to give a team time to come to terms with adapting to such a significant piece of their puzzle being absent.
Exactly why Rodri deserved the award. There is no real deterrent for the opponents to launch a quick counter, and there is no anchor point in the midfield to launch an attack. Doing these roles as a single player is insanely hard, and he did it almost every game.
Foden and Gundogan in the centre of a 4-1-4-1 is unbalanced. You don't have a good enough box to box midfielder to support Kovacic who sits and the attack. Nunes and Savinho are not dominant on the wings.
The fact that City cannot call on Stones, Ake, Akanji, Diaz or Rodri is quite debilitating. Walker apparently isn't a leader on the field and Kovacic is trying to perform a role he's not suited to. Also, Lewis in that left back position just seems wrong, that picture with two giants bearing down on him at the back post was shocking.
Another great video! However I think there's more to it. City have been playing like this for a while now. Different players in certain positions, yes, but they've been vulnerable to counters all along. In possession, they pass the ball back and forth and try to find or create a gap in their opponent's defensive wall. Rarely do they try anything else, except when desperation kicks in. So the games they play are almost always close affairs, giving the opposition hope and opportunities to stay in the game and even get something back. I'm starting to think that it has to do with how they are being trained, particularly City's defence. Since what their offence does is practice a lot of pass, pass, pass, breakdown the defence strategy, I think that is how the defence are set to defend against. So a team on the counter poses a real problem for the City defence, something they don't practice at all. Sure Walker has traditionally been strong to shut many attempts down but not so much of late. Gvardiol has enjoyed some offensive success and I think is focused a bit in that pursuit. Regardless, I think the defence is just geared towards defending against a pass pass pass "breakdown the wall" offence and so can't handle an in-your-face assault. The defence seem stuck in positions, trying to block passes and shots instead of aggressively stopping the ball carrier. Opponents are now realising that. It's not unlike a strategy in hockey called "crashing the net". My take on it anyway.
I can see what you are saying but City have always been vulnerable on the counter even in their treble season. But during the second half of that season they just had their best defence for like 3-5 months straight. Remember that Brentford game? Teams have just gotten much faster stronger technical and better at transitions over the years especially the lower to mid table teams
I think it is a good point that mid table teams are getting more technical and improving strategically. They seem better at blocking opponents then committing numbers forward in attack. I think that is why Klopp struggled a bit before he left. He was getting found out
Its mainly about Rodri getting injuried. And Debruyne has been out injuried for a long time. Its good to see that also city struggles after missing key players. As a Chelsea supporter we have suffered so much in that department the latest years.
Not having Rodri is a problem only because they don't have a similar player in that position. I'm sure Kalvin Phillips would've done that defensive midfield job better than Kovacic, simply because Kovacic isn't a defensive midfielder.
Villa fan here. It’s simple. Rodri. Without Rodri they fall apart, we beat them convincingly last season at Villa Park and he was injured. They’re far to reliant on him dominating the midfield
@@iXIand city literally went like like 40 to 50 games unbeaten with him , so i think its fair for "guys" to see man city as invisible when he is playing mate👍
City are rightfully allowed some slack when they have injuries, of course it affects every team, but when United last season basically had a new cb pairing each week barely any pundits or football shows would mention it as a reason why they were struggling so much. The bias is so obvious
The difference is that United were getting thumped 4-0 every week and losing to relegation teams. None of our 4 losses apart from Sporting were that embarrassing.
I'm not a City fan either, but watching people online talking about how they're finished is hilarious. I saw an Arsenal fan talking about a 'power shift' and a Liverpool fan talking about 'staying humble' and about how it's 'lonely at the top'. I'm thinking "alright mate. Stay humble? Maybe when you're going for your 5th league in a row you can talk about about lonely it is at the top. Until then, just don't say things that will prove you're an idiot later".
Is it possible that Manchester City's defeat was caused by the players' habit of facing teams that park the bus, making them forget how to play against teams that use open play?
Having a few players out and theyre falling apart, its interesting how if ot were a different team the media reaction would be different. City have a stacked team A, B or beyond. They should be doing better
the fact that City have lost not just one, but their 2 LITERAL MOST IMPORTANT AND BEST PLAYERS, with one being the LITERAL BALON D’OR WINNER, and only have lost 2 league games in a row thus far is really crazy. Arsenal are already double that streak without their best and most important player in Odegaard, and it SHOWS. he is severely missed. now imagine their other most important player, perhaps Saka, to ALSO be missing at the same time. it would be catastrophic for them, and any team. but let’s not diminish this fact: Rodri isn’t just one of if not the most important player on Man City, he was named THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER IN ALL OF WORLD FOOTBALL. imagine any other team losing that caliber of player, it’d be devastating. you can see how much he’s missed at City, but still they are so good it makes you think they should win every game, that’s insane
Where were you lot last year when united couldnt field an entire back line through injuries. Oh yea! Hammering them because injuries aren't an excuse apparently
Bit of a meta comment this, but just wanted to say I'm so glad I found your content, Adam. For as long as I can remember, I've found it really frustrating how 'post-hoc' most TV analysis is. Even going back to when I would still regularly watch MotD, almost everything was focused on the goals (I suppose it was a highlight show, after all) and how bad or good the individual players had performed in those key moments. "School boy defending" (said in a dour Scottish accent). And I feel like if anything, TV coverage has got worse in recent years, as broadcasters look for strong but simple narratives (bit like modern politics) which can later be stuck on social media and generate clicks. So I suppose there's a certain irony in the fact that it's social media (TH-cam) that's also able to provide the solution (your quality analysis). I don't think you're always right about everything (obviously) but you put so much more thought into your analysis and the narratives you construct than anyone on the telly, and you're able to back them up with facts and stats. You've also just got a very engaging style
This comment is wonky. There is loads of good general tv analysis around. Not just about the goals post hoc as you insist on putting it, but before games too. Do you have SKY? They do big chunks of it especially before Friday and Monday games. And you are way too dismissive of MOTD: remember, their pundits have all played the game at the highest level and are always worth hearing.
@@novianovioTV Tbh mate, I'm British but live in Spain now, so I don't actually get ANY analysis of football on the telly (unless I put TH-cam on). English football gets shown with zero analysis, just commentary. So I either catch what I'm calling TV analysis on TH-cam, or when I visit the UK and catch a game with my dad, for instance. But I do maintain that the whole Sky lot, for instance, are quite unisghtful with their analysis. I enjoy the Overlap for the anecdotes, but once they do any analysis, as I've said, it seems so basic, and yes, post-hoc, to me. Still so many cliches about "wanting it more" and basically reading results as an inevitable product of the matches that preceded them, as opposed to just one possible outcome, highly contingent on numerous factors and luck. But I appreciate you having a different take to me, and maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I did used to rate some of Gary Neville's analysis but I think Adam's blows his out the water
@@novianovioTV nonsense, just because someone has played at a high level doesn't mean it's always worth hearing. they barely talk about tactics, it's all individual moments and refereeing decisions. some of the longer bits on Sky are ok, but these are ultimatley just ex-pros espousing things they heard when they played 20 years ago when it wasn't very technical or tactical in English football. the OP is spot on, the general tactical discourse in this country is terrible. it's really only online with people like Adam that we get proper tactical analysis happening. both Sky and BBC are catering to the lowest common denominator, the average fan in the pub.
@@matthewdobson100 IMO there are two common issues with having (big-name) former footballers as pundits. One is that just because they've "been there and done it", that doesn't guarantee that they'll be particularly perceptive or astute about their experiences. They'll have insider knowledge, for sure, but I think it's clearly possible to make it as a top-level professional footballer mostly based on semi-conscious/ 'flow state' information processing. That means they needn't be that switched on about WHY things unfold on the pitch in the way that they do. Secondly, as you point out, the game and especially the tactical side of the game has evolved MASSIVELY, even compared to say 10-20 years ago, when most pundits were playing. I mentioned I enjoyed some of the anecdotes recounted in the Overlap, and I found it super interesting - and to be fair to G Nev and Co, they're generally quite humble/sincere when talking about their own playing days - when they basically said that under Alex Ferguson they "didn't really do tactics". That is a million miles away from where the top level teams are at now, so unless they've (successfully) coached at the top level, it's no wonder they end up providing simplistic analysis. And finally, I do think there still exists quite a lot of anti-intellectualism amongst football supporters (unsurprisingly, perhaps). So, people feel threatened by, and are therefore resistant to, many of the more contemporary concepts and terms used to describe football (press resistant, low block, xG etc. etc.) (I'm aware that those aren't great examples but I myself am a bit deficient in my own understanding/familiarity with many of the more modern footballing concepts)
This is City playing at their worst, but as a non-City fan, we all know that they’ll reinvent themselves and bounce back once their key players recover from injuries. It’s actually impressive that City has managed to maintain such structured and disciplined formations without facing defeat for so long.
The problem is the defence ; their XG conceded in the last 4 matches (all lost) is higher than the previous 9 combined ; the XG during those last 4 losses is actually similar to the previous 4 games. Having said that I can't help but think that Rodri Dias and De Bruyne being unavailable has been huge ; those are the 3 leaders in the squad.
i could be wrong obviously, but with the way Baleba was able to take control and have such a handle on multiple city players, i feel like it was a tactical choice to leave him off the field until the second half. that had he started from the beginning, he’d be able to do probably the same thing, but come halftime Pep would have a way to nullify his effectiveness and share it with the team. him only playing the second half made it so Pep didn’t have a halftime team talk to go over changes with the entire team and get them back on track he could make subs, or try to employ tactical changes and maneuvers on the fly, but that is way different than having a full halftime
tactics aside i feel like man city's problem has got to do with the wingers we have now......before, we had wingers scoring and assisting but now we don't.... i believe strongly that when our wingers starter doing extra by scoring and assisting we will be fine....we also need our midfielders to start scoring consistently
Man, Pep is such a great manager. Truly the best in the world. It's not like he needs the best player(s) in the world to win games or anything, no no. Managers like Thomas Frank are definitely not infinitely better, nah, definitely not.
I Am Biased But This Just Shows Rodri Is The Heart Of City Without Him They Can’t Get Results Convincingly Or Consistently. If Vini Got Injured Madrid Would Still Win Difference
So Ruben Dias, Akanji, Ake, De Bruyne are useless donkeys playing for City and their absence doesn’t mean anything? You idiots must start play bird watching documentary and daily tv drama cause your brain is not even 10% good for understanding football
@ Silva Is Playing Good Not At His Best And He Wasn't Fit For 2-3 Matches. But Foden..... I dont know man His Confidence Got Destroyed By The Euros. Hope He Can Get His Act Together Spon
Haaland needs big chances to score, which he normally gets a ton of when Rodri and De Bruyne are in. Without Rodri the whole team goes backwards to cover gaps Rodri normally sorts, leaving Haaland very isolated.
like liverpool without VVD in 20/21, the otherworldly freak who was holding their finely balanced system together is not available & cannot be replaced. they will have to adapt & play differently but they lack legs in midfield. Liverpool ticked along alright until all their senior CBs got injured. Baleba absolutely bullied City second half & a few more batterings like that & City's midfielders will start dropping with injuries.
City's press didn't work because the opposition is simply bigger, faster and stronger. Like tactically you can spring a trap with two players pressing the defender, and you'd think it would force him into making an awkward pass, and that is a good strategy. But not if the defender just turns and barges his way through it anyway. Pep needs to coach his players into playing more physical football.
Tbf City always have a blip around this time of year, last season at this time they lost a couple of games but you know come January they will kick into gear and will no doubt be back pushing for the title again
6:28 missed a trick there Adam, mate. "is that the level that you're operating at? And... No, I want to... God, I want to, but I couldn't Baleba if I tried..." 😆😆
Teams aren't scared of City anymore and know how to set up and play against them now. They have never actually been that strong defensively. I don't think any of their defenders are great 1-on-1. Ederson has an error in him and they could always be "got at" but they have relied on Kyle Walker's hamstrings to get them out of many holes 🕳️.
@@JobHans If they lose Walker and do not replace him with someone of equal pace like Frimpong, they will struggle. It is why i hope another team signs Frimpong
I know it won't last, so I'll enjoy the schadenfreude while I still can. Though I will admit I'm happy Rodri won the Ballon d'Or, and City's performances without him further prove that he deserved it.
I have been a Manchester city fan for years but the thing that I know Pep has been doing the same Tactics for 8 years and I think other team have noticed. So my advice to Manchester city and Pep is change your tactics please
Citys biggest weakness is that they defend zonal centrally. Wide spaces are exploited easily by the opponents. Peps system works in a league set up, but very inefficient in cups or knock out football. That's why city always fails in champions League.
Love these videos and I learn so much from you but I refuse to believe that this is all just because Rodri is out. Pointing out they're in the wrong shape to defend must clearly be down to Pep not being able to prepare his team properly for the game ahead. Ill shout it from the rooftops, but with the additional ammo if he cant win if he's missing a single player, Pep is in no way shape or form a top 5 manager. Southampton are dead last and their gaffer put together a brilliant game plan vs Slot and Liverpool, different from the team's normal tactics, and only lost because his players made mistakes. You're telling me Pep is miles ahead of that guy? Please.
As a city fan this makes me so angry lol but everything is true. Rico, is not physical enough to play out of position like that, Gvardiol is not a leader to play at the back. Kovacic is not a CDM, neither is Gundo. Kova was Gundo's replacement. Simpson Pussey has not earned that starting position, I would rather pep play walker at CB and have Silva play at RB
Rodri's injury. Depurture of Alvarez. And flop Savinho and Grealish. Doku's performance slumber. KDB's aging Everything went wrong this season. Alvarez kept city in shape last season replacing both Haaland and KDB. Pep should've prioritize him over KDB & Haaland at least. That was a fluke. It'll never comback again
Do people really think Rico Lewis is that good defensively? I think he has good work rate and forward play but I have noticed a few times this season he can be a bit sloppy and inconsistent, no hate here but just wanted to see other people's opinions on him as he also has call ups to England recently.
Doesn't city always go through a bad stretch every year and end up winning it all anyway... the issue is that teams really don't pounce when City does struggle... I mean look at Arsenal... City is struggling but they are struggling even worse... Chelsea stumbles when they get a chance... Man United is complete shit and really it looks like no one other than Liverpool can take advantage and their advantage isn't even that large... people are acting like they are on a 5 game losing streak in the league when they've only lost two in the league... if teams around them don't take advantage now before the January window when they can restock and refresh then we gotta stop putting the Premier League up there as far as being one of the top leagues in the world... they'll be back in it when the games become even bigger and more important... the question is will Liverpool and Arsenal completely bottle it again when the pressure gets high and City inevitably regains form
A team whose bench is as expensive as some other teams' full squad, has to be able to cope with injuries and busy calendars. So Pep, just put the violin away and go do your job please
There is a long way to go yet. City will get it together and other teams including Liverpool will have injuries and lose form. It’s certainly nowhere near over.
The analysis that he provides is literally perfect. I learn so much about football tactics. earned a sub
For real, i become a big fan of this channel after I watched a couple of videos, but today he forgot the Chelsea related video, I was like Where is that Chelsea video???
Tell us more about the Italian dish that Maresca is cooking, and why Gusto can’t execute the plan even though he understands it by getting to the right space.
Superb channel!
Genuinely one of the best channels on TH-cam.
@@Storm_watch007for real, I’m surprised he’s not made many more Chelsea videos as it’s so intriguing
Rodri’s injury affecting Man City reminds me of when van dijk got injured. Suddenly, Liverpool were much more exposed and the defensive weaknesses in the tactics (e.g. the fearsome flying fullbacks) were suddenly much more obvious and easier to exploit.
It was every centre back who was injured, and Fabinho, who was 4th choice cb. Henderson and Gini played at centre back, but played too deep cos they were slow, so the rest of the team were pressing leaving a huge gap
Liverpool were still top of the league in January, months after Van Dijks injury. They ended up with every CB injured, and two DM's who dropped into CB also got injured, so they had to sign two players to play CB (one of whom got injured and never played) 😂
These are valid points, but Rodri is hardly the only Man City defensive player injured at the moment… Van dijk was critical for Liverpool, Rodri is critical for Man City 🤷♂️
I don’t think it was the van dijk injury that caused that, it was more likely the lack of intensity in pressing that meant teams could exploit the high line. If you remember, Liverpool ended the season they won the league in really poor form, losing 3 in 4 before covid and then struggled after. Also the villa 7-2 game happened with van dijk playing at the start of next year, and their form was poor. Then at the end of that year, Fabinho went back into midfield and, with Nat Phillips and rhys Williams as centre backs, they won 7 of the last 8 and looked back to their best with pressing as well. All without van dijk
@@conallfarquhar8069you would be alone in that assessment, as stupid as it is wordy.
Liverpool were top of the league before VVD’s injury. They finished 3rd without him. The end.
can you please do a video on how good Forest have been this season
As a Brighton fan I've been enjoying all the love for us beating City, but I do wish people talked more about the fact that our 31-year old manager with no top flight experience just outcoached the greatest manager of all time in his first season in the Prem. I think Tony Bloom has a factory where he rolls these dudes off the assembly line whenever they need a new manager.
That’s why Brighton is everyone’s second favourite team
he's doing excellently but your real strength is your squad. most stocked midtable team in years, better than the one newcastle got 4th with. once you realise Welbeck is horrible & play Pedro, Mitoma, Adingra then a CL charge is possible
@@Kobble8 except for crystal palace fans
Hurtzler didn't just emerge from Bloom's basement
I thought you were pretty poor against Newcastle and very very lucky to win and hadn't seen many other games so was shocked to see how well you are doing
Simple: they are scoring less goals than the opposition
Yep they used to concede 1 2 and then scores 3 4 and win the game but now it doesn't looks like only Attackers problem, their Defense became more worse and more on that players like Savio not being creative and Senior players like Foden underperforming is the reason why they're not scoring more Goals
🤓☝️
Hes a genius
STRAIGHT to BUSINESS!!!!
@Exodus_Gaming7
*Defence
Suck to baseball smfh
It's interesting how the absence of Rodri is the simple answer to why City are playing poorly and everyone accepts it. If any other club lost one player and then lost 4 on the bounce, the media would say that's not a good enough excuse.
I mean generally losing games because the Balon dor winner isn’t available is a pretty fair reason to lose games
@@dustinmartin6524 I agree. But my point is that I've never really seen the same type of leeway be given to any other club.
Its just that he got mc to a 73 unbeaten streak, so the idea that the team loses simply bc he is out can be understandably point to that. People like to simplify problems and overlook how City is losing KDB -their playmaker - and 4 of their best defenders. Also Foden and Walker is having their worst stat to a season too.
@@dustinmartin6524balon dor winner 😂 like that means f all, I'm surprised they moved on from Messi, was expecting him to keep getting that in his retirement home
Last 78 games with Rodri present: 1 loss.
Last 27 games without Rodri present: 9 losses.
Think it's a legit excuse. But if City keeps on losing at a significant rate, then it'll cease to be a viable excuse. Rodri's out for the season, so any extended losing and the blame will shift (rightly) to the manager and players not being able to adapt to such an important loss. In the meantime, you have to give a team time to come to terms with adapting to such a significant piece of their puzzle being absent.
City won 17/18 and 18/19 seasons with 100 and 98 points. They didn't have Rodri.
But they DID have a defensive midfielder though. 😅
They had someone who was arguably better at the time
Fernandinho was about as good/important then as Rodri is today though
@@GoulartGH yes obviously 😅. That's the point. They don't have a natural DM atm.
Because city bench Fernandinho the lost the Champions League to Chelsea
@@pagelablues that was a ridiculous starting XI. Pep started neither Fernandinho nor Rodri. Arrogant bald man. 😂
Exactly why Rodri deserved the award. There is no real deterrent for the opponents to launch a quick counter, and there is no anchor point in the midfield to launch an attack. Doing these roles as a single player is insanely hard, and he did it almost every game.
Foden and Gundogan in the centre of a 4-1-4-1 is unbalanced. You don't have a good enough box to box midfielder to support Kovacic who sits and the attack.
Nunes and Savinho are not dominant on the wings.
I think right now they don't have anyone defensively minded enough to control the midfield.
The fact that City cannot call on Stones, Ake, Akanji, Diaz or Rodri is quite debilitating. Walker apparently isn't a leader on the field and Kovacic is trying to perform a role he's not suited to. Also, Lewis in that left back position just seems wrong, that picture with two giants bearing down on him at the back post was shocking.
Kovacic is also not a number 6. He is a ball progressor.
Yep. Classic 8. They are playing with a 10 and two 8s in midfield, and people wonder why they struggle...
@@jonatanolsen37 if stones is able to come back after the break they could start winning, he can partner kova as an inverted fullback.
Also if instead of Foden, Bernado is there, would be different. Way higher overall football IQ
@@jonatanolsen372 8s and a 10 can work but not with these three
Another great video! However I think there's more to it. City have been playing like this for a while now. Different players in certain positions, yes, but they've been vulnerable to counters all along. In possession, they pass the ball back and forth and try to find or create a gap in their opponent's defensive wall. Rarely do they try anything else, except when desperation kicks in. So the games they play are almost always close affairs, giving the opposition hope and opportunities to stay in the game and even get something back. I'm starting to think that it has to do with how they are being trained, particularly City's defence. Since what their offence does is practice a lot of pass, pass, pass, breakdown the defence strategy, I think that is how the defence are set to defend against. So a team on the counter poses a real problem for the City defence, something they don't practice at all. Sure Walker has traditionally been strong to shut many attempts down but not so much of late. Gvardiol has enjoyed some offensive success and I think is focused a bit in that pursuit. Regardless, I think the defence is just geared towards defending against a pass pass pass "breakdown the wall" offence and so can't handle an in-your-face assault. The defence seem stuck in positions, trying to block passes and shots instead of aggressively stopping the ball carrier. Opponents are now realising that. It's not unlike a strategy in hockey called "crashing the net". My take on it anyway.
I can see what you are saying but City have always been vulnerable on the counter even in their treble season. But during the second half of that season they just had their best defence for like 3-5 months straight. Remember that Brentford game? Teams have just gotten much faster stronger technical and better at transitions over the years especially the lower to mid table teams
I think it is a good point that mid table teams are getting more technical and improving strategically. They seem better at blocking opponents then committing numbers forward in attack. I think that is why Klopp struggled a bit before he left. He was getting found out
You're reading more into it than is there.
Its mainly about Rodri getting injuried. And Debruyne has been out injuried for a long time. Its good to see that also city struggles after missing key players. As a Chelsea supporter we have suffered so much in that department the latest years.
1:01 this aged well 😂
Yup 😂
Still aging 😭😭
Not having Rodri is a problem only because they don't have a similar player in that position. I'm sure Kalvin Phillips would've done that defensive midfield job better than Kovacic, simply because Kovacic isn't a defensive midfielder.
Who's here after the awful defeat against Spurs
Villa fan here. It’s simple. Rodri.
Without Rodri they fall apart, we beat them convincingly last season at Villa Park and he was injured. They’re far to reliant on him dominating the midfield
Nice excuse but doesn't explain the other games they won without him
Which youtuber did you get that from
He was not injured, he was suspended.
@@ashwilliams4959 Guys are acting like Rodri has a 100% win record ffs 😂
@@iXIand city literally went like like 40 to 50 games unbeaten with him , so i think its fair for "guys" to see man city as invisible when he is playing mate👍
City are rightfully allowed some slack when they have injuries, of course it affects every team, but when United last season basically had a new cb pairing each week barely any pundits or football shows would mention it as a reason why they were struggling so much. The bias is so obvious
The difference is that United were getting thumped 4-0 every week and losing to relegation teams. None of our 4 losses apart from Sporting were that embarrassing.
@@viksinha5410yet ten haag never lost 4 in a row
wimpycorpse united was never in title race, in 6 years? Got a 2° place that that no kne though had a chance
@@raulleite8747 you guys cheated for all your money and you'll be penalized soon
@@raulleite8747 maybe not, still never lost 4 in a row
Erik Ten Hag to Pep : First time (having many injuries to key players in defence)?
I'm not a City fan either, but watching people online talking about how they're finished is hilarious. I saw an Arsenal fan talking about a 'power shift' and a Liverpool fan talking about 'staying humble' and about how it's 'lonely at the top'. I'm thinking "alright mate. Stay humble? Maybe when you're going for your 5th league in a row you can talk about about lonely it is at the top. Until then, just don't say things that will prove you're an idiot later".
I mean we are the most successful club in the history of English football but okay 😂
Is it possible that Manchester City's defeat was caused by the players' habit of facing teams that park the bus, making them forget how to play against teams that use open play?
Having a few players out and theyre falling apart, its interesting how if ot were a different team the media reaction would be different. City have a stacked team A, B or beyond. They should be doing better
the fact that City have lost not just one, but their 2 LITERAL MOST IMPORTANT AND BEST PLAYERS, with one being the LITERAL BALON D’OR WINNER, and only have lost 2 league games in a row thus far is really crazy. Arsenal are already double that streak without their best and most important player in Odegaard, and it SHOWS. he is severely missed. now imagine their other most important player, perhaps Saka, to ALSO be missing at the same time. it would be catastrophic for them, and any team.
but let’s not diminish this fact: Rodri isn’t just one of if not the most important player on Man City, he was named THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER IN ALL OF WORLD FOOTBALL. imagine any other team losing that caliber of player, it’d be devastating. you can see how much he’s missed at City, but still they are so good it makes you think they should win every game, that’s insane
Where were you lot last year when united couldnt field an entire back line through injuries. Oh yea! Hammering them because injuries aren't an excuse apparently
Attacking wise they are great [ score most gaols in leagues ] but it's their defense + lack of actual CDM that's causing all this disasterclass 😬 .
brighton has he best scouting dept around. bloom is an absolute wizard
It's simple: they're so boring, players are entering the R.E.M. sleep stage long before halftime.
Cringe
That's how they win games, bore the opposition to sleep
@@ashwilliams4959 Possibly the most ridiculous, jealousy filled comment I've ever laughed at.
@@BrendaSimmons-v9p what yours?
Most exiting team to watch
So fun to watch Adam, Keep up the brilliant work ;)
Next: why are spurs so inconsistent? 🙏
Baleba is Brighton's Rodri
Brightons borrusia dortmund bellingham id say
Baleba is Brighton’s caicedo with Pogba’s attributes
@@MonsterhunterFTWWTF baleba is twice the player caicedo is
Carlos Baleba is the next big thing, +100m.
Wow, how Brighton handle Man City's narrow compact low-block 442 defence is brilliant. Lots of teams are going to copy that. Love the analysis
Bit of a meta comment this, but just wanted to say I'm so glad I found your content, Adam.
For as long as I can remember, I've found it really frustrating how 'post-hoc' most TV analysis is. Even going back to when I would still regularly watch MotD, almost everything was focused on the goals (I suppose it was a highlight show, after all) and how bad or good the individual players had performed in those key moments. "School boy defending" (said in a dour Scottish accent).
And I feel like if anything, TV coverage has got worse in recent years, as broadcasters look for strong but simple narratives (bit like modern politics) which can later be stuck on social media and generate clicks. So I suppose there's a certain irony in the fact that it's social media (TH-cam) that's also able to provide the solution (your quality analysis).
I don't think you're always right about everything (obviously) but you put so much more thought into your analysis and the narratives you construct than anyone on the telly, and you're able to back them up with facts and stats.
You've also just got a very engaging style
This comment is wonky. There is loads of good general tv analysis around. Not just about the goals post hoc as you insist on putting it, but before games too. Do you have SKY? They do big chunks of it especially before Friday and Monday games. And you are way too dismissive of MOTD: remember, their pundits have all played the game at the highest level and are always worth hearing.
@@novianovioTV Tbh mate, I'm British but live in Spain now, so I don't actually get ANY analysis of football on the telly (unless I put TH-cam on). English football gets shown with zero analysis, just commentary.
So I either catch what I'm calling TV analysis on TH-cam, or when I visit the UK and catch a game with my dad, for instance.
But I do maintain that the whole Sky lot, for instance, are quite unisghtful with their analysis. I enjoy the Overlap for the anecdotes, but once they do any analysis, as I've said, it seems so basic, and yes, post-hoc, to me. Still so many cliches about "wanting it more" and basically reading results as an inevitable product of the matches that preceded them, as opposed to just one possible outcome, highly contingent on numerous factors and luck.
But I appreciate you having a different take to me, and maybe I'm being a bit harsh. I did used to rate some of Gary Neville's analysis but I think Adam's blows his out the water
@@novianovioTV nonsense, just because someone has played at a high level doesn't mean it's always worth hearing. they barely talk about tactics, it's all individual moments and refereeing decisions. some of the longer bits on Sky are ok, but these are ultimatley just ex-pros espousing things they heard when they played 20 years ago when it wasn't very technical or tactical in English football. the OP is spot on, the general tactical discourse in this country is terrible. it's really only online with people like Adam that we get proper tactical analysis happening. both Sky and BBC are catering to the lowest common denominator, the average fan in the pub.
@@matthewdobson100 IMO there are two common issues with having (big-name) former footballers as pundits. One is that just because they've "been there and done it", that doesn't guarantee that they'll be particularly perceptive or astute about their experiences. They'll have insider knowledge, for sure, but I think it's clearly possible to make it as a top-level professional footballer mostly based on semi-conscious/ 'flow state' information processing. That means they needn't be that switched on about WHY things unfold on the pitch in the way that they do.
Secondly, as you point out, the game and especially the tactical side of the game has evolved MASSIVELY, even compared to say 10-20 years ago, when most pundits were playing. I mentioned I enjoyed some of the anecdotes recounted in the Overlap, and I found it super interesting - and to be fair to G Nev and Co, they're generally quite humble/sincere when talking about their own playing days - when they basically said that under Alex Ferguson they "didn't really do tactics". That is a million miles away from where the top level teams are at now, so unless they've (successfully) coached at the top level, it's no wonder they end up providing simplistic analysis.
And finally, I do think there still exists quite a lot of anti-intellectualism amongst football supporters (unsurprisingly, perhaps). So, people feel threatened by, and are therefore resistant to, many of the more contemporary concepts and terms used to describe football (press resistant, low block, xG etc. etc.) (I'm aware that those aren't great examples but I myself am a bit deficient in my own understanding/familiarity with many of the more modern footballing concepts)
@arkidmaestro you had good examples mate dw. You show atleast a decent understanding of things to be able to comment on all that. Well done
Big fan from morocco thanks for the analysis it make it easier for us to understand the beautiful game and specially the premier league
This is City playing at their worst, but as a non-City fan, we all know that they’ll reinvent themselves and bounce back once their key players recover from injuries. It’s actually impressive that City has managed to maintain such structured and disciplined formations without facing defeat for so long.
Thanks. Best analysis on YT.
Thanks Adam - great analysis as always.
Easy: they are missing stones and rodri, who are crucial for their defense and buildup, and De bruyne who is crucial in order to get haaland involved
Don't forget Diaz. He's a much better leader at the back than Walker.
Yet when united couldn't field a back 4 injuries weren't an excuse... double standards man
It is so they can say they don’t deserve such a harsh points deduction.
It shows what an important player Rodri is for his team.
What great videos you make!
The problem is the defence ; their XG conceded in the last 4 matches (all lost) is higher than the previous 9 combined ; the XG during those last 4 losses is actually similar to the previous 4 games.
Having said that I can't help but think that Rodri Dias and De Bruyne being unavailable has been huge ; those are the 3 leaders in the squad.
Since it’s international break and I’m asking really nicely could you pretty please do a retro analysis of Carlo ancelottis time at Chelsea thanks xx
i could be wrong obviously, but with the way Baleba was able to take control and have such a handle on multiple city players, i feel like it was a tactical choice to leave him off the field until the second half. that had he started from the beginning, he’d be able to do probably the same thing, but come halftime Pep would have a way to nullify his effectiveness and share it with the team. him only playing the second half made it so Pep didn’t have a halftime team talk to go over changes with the entire team and get them back on track
he could make subs, or try to employ tactical changes and maneuvers on the fly, but that is way different than having a full halftime
I suspect coaches always come to learn their lapses here whenever they lose matches. Great analysis.
If i was a city fan I'd be concerned about slots liverpool turning up
tactics aside i feel like man city's problem has got to do with the wingers we have now......before, we had wingers scoring and assisting but now we don't.... i believe strongly that when our wingers starter doing extra by scoring and assisting we will be fine....we also need our midfielders to start scoring consistently
Shhh, Don’t tell them, I’m enjoying it as it is😉
Was waiting for that video🎉
Man, Pep is such a great manager. Truly the best in the world. It's not like he needs the best player(s) in the world to win games or anything, no no. Managers like Thomas Frank are definitely not infinitely better, nah, definitely not.
I Am Biased But This Just Shows Rodri Is The Heart Of City Without Him They Can’t Get Results Convincingly Or Consistently.
If Vini Got Injured Madrid Would Still Win
Difference
So Ruben Dias, Akanji, Ake, De Bruyne are useless donkeys playing for City and their absence doesn’t mean anything?
You idiots must start play bird watching documentary and daily tv drama cause your brain is not even 10% good for understanding football
What are Silva and Foden doing this season?
@ Silva Is Playing Good Not At His Best And He Wasn't Fit For 2-3 Matches.
But Foden..... I dont know man His Confidence Got Destroyed By The Euros. Hope He Can Get His Act Together Spon
@@FUTID1 Where were Akanji, Stones, Dias and how in form and good is De Bruyne this season?
@@FUTID1and you admit Pep is a big fraud cause he can't do anything whiteout Rodri or what? Thought he was one of the best oat?
Waiting for the update from City v Spurs.
Only recently I got to know about this channel but it has a lot of subscribers already. How come it didn’t pop up in TH-cam before.
Maybe it did. You just didn’t consciously notice
Haaland needs big chances to score, which he normally gets a ton of when Rodri and De Bruyne are in. Without Rodri the whole team goes backwards to cover gaps Rodri normally sorts, leaving Haaland very isolated.
I love the 17:08 formation.
like liverpool without VVD in 20/21, the otherworldly freak who was holding their finely balanced system together is not available & cannot be replaced. they will have to adapt & play differently but they lack legs in midfield. Liverpool ticked along alright until all their senior CBs got injured. Baleba absolutely bullied City second half & a few more batterings like that & City's midfielders will start dropping with injuries.
City's press didn't work because the opposition is simply bigger, faster and stronger. Like tactically you can spring a trap with two players pressing the defender, and you'd think it would force him into making an awkward pass, and that is a good strategy. But not if the defender just turns and barges his way through it anyway. Pep needs to coach his players into playing more physical football.
Simple, their defender is a pusey
Imagine being called Pusey 😂 dude in school woulda been "Is pusey here?"
A Pussey according to this video
@@afnfplayer3520 that's not his first name
Four away games in a row .Without Rodri. As expected… Almost.
Injuries yes...but something like this happen to united last season and even this season they didnt have a natural LB still...
Tbf City always have a blip around this time of year, last season at this time they lost a couple of games but you know come January they will kick into gear and will no doubt be back pushing for the title again
Really fun to watch a game already played through photos instead of video. What am i doing with my life!
Imagine they win the league this season I will quit watching football
Been waiting for this one
6:28 missed a trick there Adam, mate. "is that the level that you're operating at? And... No, I want to... God, I want to, but I couldn't Baleba if I tried..." 😆😆
Teams aren't scared of City anymore and know how to set up and play against them now.
They have never actually been that strong defensively. I don't think any of their defenders are great 1-on-1. Ederson has an error in him and they could always be "got at" but they have relied on Kyle Walker's hamstrings to get them out of many holes 🕳️.
They don't have a defensive midfielder only 8s no natural 6s
@@JobHans If they lose Walker and do not replace him with someone of equal pace like Frimpong, they will struggle. It is why i hope another team signs Frimpong
Having 90% possession and then proceeding to score zero goals gotta be one of the worst tactics of all time.
I’ve watched this a couple weeks after it was filmed and they’ve lost even more now in a row. They’re in trouble.
Yes they’ve only lost 2 league games but they’ve lost 4 games in a row in all comps, which is quite shocking for City!!
Where does one find all these data charts?
I know it won't last, so I'll enjoy the schadenfreude while I still can.
Though I will admit I'm happy Rodri won the Ballon d'Or, and City's performances without him further prove that he deserved it.
I have been a Manchester city fan for years but the thing that I know Pep has been doing the same Tactics for 8 years and I think other team have noticed. So my advice to Manchester city and Pep is change your tactics please
I’m a Baleba. Wish we had him at Liverpool
ANSWER: Because they don’t have 3-4 key players and the replacements aren’t good enough. You’re welcome! ❤
I look forward to the day Pep plays Ederson upfront next to Haaland.
Man Utd must not make that mistake of not getting Caicedo back then and grab Carlos Baleba
They are not losing. They are just staying humble eh?
16:40 Well they haven't got those players back yet and the title is beyond them ; probably
Citys biggest weakness is that they defend zonal centrally. Wide spaces are exploited easily by the opponents.
Peps system works in a league set up, but very inefficient in cups or knock out football. That's why city always fails in champions League.
Where is the one for ManU's players that stay/go for Amorim? Please let that be next.
A mad new formation with 12 players on the pitch! 😂 he's always looking for that extra edge
Love these videos and I learn so much from you but I refuse to believe that this is all just because Rodri is out. Pointing out they're in the wrong shape to defend must clearly be down to Pep not being able to prepare his team properly for the game ahead. Ill shout it from the rooftops, but with the additional ammo if he cant win if he's missing a single player, Pep is in no way shape or form a top 5 manager. Southampton are dead last and their gaffer put together a brilliant game plan vs Slot and Liverpool, different from the team's normal tactics, and only lost because his players made mistakes. You're telling me Pep is miles ahead of that guy? Please.
i don't know why i always thought that the background was what your room looked like, but it's obviously a green screen
They got humbled eh
If City win the League, Arsenal and Liverpool should be relegated....🗿
As Michael Owen once said: They don't usually win when they don't score goals
As a city fan this makes me so angry lol but everything is true. Rico, is not physical enough to play out of position like that, Gvardiol is not a leader to play at the back. Kovacic is not a CDM, neither is Gundo. Kova was Gundo's replacement. Simpson Pussey has not earned that starting position, I would rather pep play walker at CB and have Silva play at RB
It’s Simpson-Pusey, not Pussey 😂
It made the child in me chuckle though 😂
It might not sound like an issue but the fact is we have been dominated in nearly every game we have played or we have played bad
The loss of Rodri is gigantic.
He was just un-Baleba-ble on the midfield
tl;dr Brighton's manager did a fantastic job of organizing his team to win against Pep Guardiola's Man City
Brighton have got to be the best club at scouting no 6’s in the world
Rodri's injury. Depurture of Alvarez. And flop Savinho and Grealish. Doku's performance slumber. KDB's aging
Everything went wrong this season. Alvarez kept city in shape last season replacing both Haaland and KDB.
Pep should've prioritize him over KDB & Haaland at least. That was a fluke. It'll never comback again
Do people really think Rico Lewis is that good defensively? I think he has good work rate and forward play but I have noticed a few times this season he can be a bit sloppy and inconsistent, no hate here but just wanted to see other people's opinions on him as he also has call ups to England recently.
It's probably a matter of experience, plus the role he's being given is demanding so you're right
Mike Ashley can make a bid soon,Sam Allerdyce is available
Brb gotta show this to pep
Doesn't city always go through a bad stretch every year and end up winning it all anyway... the issue is that teams really don't pounce when City does struggle... I mean look at Arsenal... City is struggling but they are struggling even worse... Chelsea stumbles when they get a chance... Man United is complete shit and really it looks like no one other than Liverpool can take advantage and their advantage isn't even that large... people are acting like they are on a 5 game losing streak in the league when they've only lost two in the league... if teams around them don't take advantage now before the January window when they can restock and refresh then we gotta stop putting the Premier League up there as far as being one of the top leagues in the world... they'll be back in it when the games become even bigger and more important... the question is will Liverpool and Arsenal completely bottle it again when the pressure gets high and City inevitably regains form
A team whose bench is as expensive as some other teams' full squad, has to be able to cope with injuries and busy calendars.
So Pep, just put the violin away and go do your job please
Ahh some light relief
There is a long way to go yet. City will get it together and other teams including Liverpool will have injuries and lose form. It’s certainly nowhere near over.