Photo credit: Sports Vision
In the fierce confrontation, the host team Manchester City adhere to the 3241 formation, the back line by Akanji, Ruben Dias, Ake, back Stones, Rodri sit, midfield DeBruyne, Gündogan, Grealish, B.Silva round, striker Haaland impact. Opponent Bayern, on the other hand, adopts a 4231 formation, with defenders Upamecano, DeLigt, Davies, Pavard stabilizing the defense, back Goretzka, Kimmich dispatching freely, midfielders Musiala, Coman, Sane tacit cooperation, and strikers Gnabry firing on all cylinders.
(List of starting lineups)
At the beginning of the match, Bayern tried to suppress City with their formation, but City quickly adjusted and the ball gradually fell into their own side. B.Silva on the right side of the pitch was in a fierce duel with Bayern's Davies, who skillfully controlled the opponent's strong attacking point on the left side of the pitch.
Bayern had a few threatening attacks, but they were all deflected by Ruben Dias. City capitalized on the counter-attack and broke the deadlock in the 26th minute when Rodri pressed the ball forward, got away from Musiala and fired home from 24 yards.
In the second half, Bayern wanted to counter-attack, but Manchester City's four midfielders and two backs were active in the middle, with a clear numerical advantage, and Bayern's Kimmich and Goretzka were forced to support each other in all directions, leaving the waist position slightly empty. Manchester City right B.Silva in the duel with Davies gradually prevailed, so that Bayern tired to deal with, the first half ended with 1-0.
In the second half, Bayern missed the pass and nearly lost points, but the header from corner kick was quite threatening. The weakness of Bayern's two wings, Davies was held by B.Silva and right wing Coman had difficulty in breaking through Ake's defense, which was the key to Bayern's poor attack.
Bayern were confused by City's forward pressure, and Upamecano made a series of mistakes. 68 minutes, City replaced DeBruyne with Alvarez to strengthen the forward pressure, and the effect was remarkable.
In the 69th minute, a Bayern defender took the ball, Grealish forced the ball forward and passed it to Haaland, who crossed the ball to the left side of the penalty area, B.Silva followed up with a header and broke the goal, making it 2-0 to Bayern.
City extended their lead to 3-0 in the 75th minute when a corner was taken by Stones who made it to the other side of the net where Haaland scored with ease.
In the 79th minute, Bayern replaced Gnabry with Muller to counter-attack, and Cancelo replaced Davies to strengthen the midfield transmission. However, Bayern was still constrained by City's forward pressure, and it took nearly ten minutes to pass the halfway point, and the game ended with 3-0.
In this match, Manchester City's formation played well, with strong control in the middle and limited attack on the sides, and Bayern's wingers and wing backs were suppressed. Bayern's full-court pressure strategy failed to work, and City players were under less pressure with the ball.
Of the City goals, the second and third came from Bayern's shaky defense, with Upamecano making mistakes under City's continuous pressure. Overall, Bayern played poorly, while City played steadily. City moved Stones forward to strengthen the midfield, Ake played both offense and defense, the front four midfielders controlled the situation, and DeBruyne freely supported the two wings. Pep Guardiola's tactics have achieved remarkable results, and City took a big lead in the first round of the UEFA Champions League last-eight match, and one foot has already stepped into the last-four.
