“You have to win Europe (Champions League) to be considered one of the really good teams and we did that,” said a weary Pep Guardiola after finally clinching the Champions League title with Manchester City.
“Suffering, we couldn’t expect anything else because Inter are an exceptional side – physicality and the patterns they display. But sometimes you need that luck, which we didn’t have in the past against Tottenham (and in) other games. Today we have it.”
Inter had a number of very tight chances. Federico Dimarco’s header hit the bar before his second header was blocked by team-mate Romelu Lukaku and the Belgium striker then aimed a free header towards Ederson instead of putting it in the net with just two minutes remaining. Lautaro Martinez could have changed the whole story too, had he capitalized on Manuel Akanji’s mistake early in the second half.
It would have been a good example of how Inter Milan’s organization in the middle of the pitch caused problems for City’s ball game. This Martinez chance came about as Marcelo Brozovic went forward and put pressure on Rodri before Akanji thought Ederson would come out to sweep.
It could have turned out differently, but a bit of luck was needed. And to be fair, City deserves a lot.
Their ball game was not the most fluid, especially in the last third. And as Inter tried to conquer all parts of their diamond midfield, City players didn’t play the risky pass into the vacant John Stones as often as they should have.
However, it was their off-ball play that shone again – a recurring theme in this season’s Champions League knockout stages. It was Ederson, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Stones, Akanji and to a lesser extent Rodri who performed in Istanbul.
The difference between this City side and their predecessors, as Guardiola explains, is in the four ‘right’ defenders behind Rodri. “I think we defend a little better in the box – four centre-backs, full-backs,” he told BT Sport after the game. “Even if we make a mistake, I felt we were more solid.”
That was his opinion last week when asked if this City side was his best. “I’m not saying that the team was worse with 100 points,” said Guardiola. “Maybe we’re more solid, our back four is all defenders. Maybe we didn’t have that before.”
Looking back at the knockout stages, those four fine defenders, alongside Rodri, were instrumental in City conceding just three goals in seven games. Her ability to dominate in tackles complemented City’s high pressing in the second leg against RB Leipzig. Solid defense of the penalty area prevented Bayern Munich from getting back into the game at the Etihad before Guardiola changed the pressing scheme in the second half and it was the performance of the back four that derailed Bayern at the Allianz Arena, where the side by Thomas Tuchel was clearly the better team.
Then, in the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid, Kyle Walker limited Vinicius Jr using Dias’ commanding defense of his penalty area and Rodri’s octopus-like midfield presence in a game City controlled for only the first 25 minutes. “I learned this season that when you play against Bukayo Saka, Vinicius Jr, Gabriel Martinelli or Mohamed Salah, you need real defenders to win one-on-one challenges,” Guardiola said a few weeks later.
The right defenders were also crucial in the second leg against Madrid. Their monstrous one-on-one ability took into account City’s pressing scheme and meant they could hold ranks with Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo in defense, while Akanji positioned himself between Dani Carvajal and the rest of City’s back four. This allowed the Swiss defender to pounce when the ball was played to Carvajal or drop to capture the second ball when Real Madrid went long.
Skills in tackling, defending in transitions and winning second balls saw City’s strong defenders and Rodri Guardiola’s side lead them to the Champions League final.
It was similar against Inter. Solid performances from Dias and Akanji complemented Ederson’s saves, and the fact that the duo felt comfortable playing against Edin Dzeko and Martinez in a two-on-two scenario helped City press.
By default, City’s initial off-ball form was 4-4-2/4-2-4…
…and their main idea was to prevent Inter from connecting with their players in the middle of the pitch.
As Inter set up the back three, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish (yellow) ran from the outside in to put pressure on Alessandro Bastoni and Matteo Darmian while blocking passes to Inter full-backs.
Behind them, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland (blue) dropped to cover for Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu, allowing Rodri and Ilkay Gündogan (white) to cover the center of the pitch while the German kept an eye on Nicolo Barella’s movements.
City took a similar approach when Simone Inzaghi’s men set up a back four and pushed Francesco Acerbi into midfield. Bernardo and Grealish (yellow) focused on pressing from the outside in, Haaland and De Bruyne (blue) covered Acerbi and Brozovic, while Rodri and Gündogan (white) had their eyes on Calhanoglu and Barella.
Due to this urgent action, Inter’s possession game was suppressed. Here’s an example of how it worked: While Bastoni was on the ball and Acerbi pushed forward, Bernardo (yellow) pressed from an angle on Inter’s left centre-back, who blocked the pass to Dimarco.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, covers for Acerbi and Haaland covers for Brozovic (blue), while Rodri and Gündogan (white) cover for Calhanoglu and Barella. Bastoni switches to Darmian on the other side, and Grealish (yellow) grabs…
…force the Italian defender to make a hasty pass to Barella, which Gündogan is able to intercept.
Akanji and Dias were key to City’s pressing plan. Andre Onana’s ballplaying ability and Inter striker’s overtaking ability theoretically meant the keeper could find Martinez and Dzeko directly, but that’s where City’s ‘right’ defenders come in.
They were comfortable in one-on-one duels against Inter’s forwards and when Denzel Dumfries pushed forward Ake picked him up.
In another example, Onana goes far towards Martinez and Dzeko…
…but Dias wins the aerial duel and heads the ball towards Ake.
Many variables contributed to City winning the Champions League for the first time, creating a historic treble. But the decision to stick with the four right defenders and the different pressing systems gave them an extra edge in the knockout stages.
“Now is a big step (for this team) in my opinion,” Guardiola told CBS Sports after winning the competition for a third time.
“Now we enjoy defending.”