From his team selection, to his failure to sub on Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane until the 89th minute, Pep Guardiola got a lot wrong last night.
The person most at fault for Manchester City’s loss on Tuesday night was their manager Pep Guardiola. Though his initial tactical approach was defensible, his team selection and management of the game as it evolved was not.
Many have criticized Guardiola’s tactical approach after the game, claiming City should have been much more aggressive in the attack. However, Guardiola’s initial approach was more than justified.
Defense was a major concern for Manchester City given their recent track record in the UEFA Champions League . Coming into Tuesday night, City had conceded at least one goal in all but three of their UCL games this season.
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City also played themselves out of their UCL Quarterfinal tie in the first leg last season because of their defense. Playing more reserved was a pragmatic change from a manager who’s often been criticized, sometimes rightly, for leaving his sides too open in previous elimination stage ties.
The initial tactical approach that Guardiola took made sense, especially in light of how Spurs started the game. The personnel he chose to execute it, however, were not.
There was no excuse for Guardiola choosing Fabian Delph at left back given his recent performances at that position. Even with his options severely limited, Guardiola would have been much better suited moving Aymeric Laporte to left back for this game.
In his last start as a make-shift left back, Laporte was sure footed and did an excellent job holding Mohamed Salah in check against Liverpool in January. His defense was a major reason why City were able to hold on and win a game that got them back into the thick of the title race.
By picking Fabian Delph, Guardiola left a glaring weakness in his side for Spurs to exploit and exploit it they did. Son spent much of the game running at Delph, and Spurs began to use cross-field passes to switch the run of play over to him because of the space he was getting into. Because Delph was caught too narrow way too often, Spurs were able to get several decent chances to score down that side.
Guardiola also erred in his management of the team in the second half, both in his substitutions and tactical approach.
It became apparent quite early in the second half that Manchester City were beginning to get a foothold in the game. Spurs, who had really effectively limited space for City’s build-up in the first half, were beginning to tire. Yet, City did not ramp up their attack until the 60th minute.
Then, as Manchester City were in the ascendancy, Guardiola refused to bring his final two subs on. Spurs looked particularly deflated after Harry Kane left with a serious ankle injury. The game was screaming out for Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane to come on and run at a tired and deflated Spurs defense. Yet, Guardiola refused to depart from the plan.
Even after Spurs scored the opening goal against the run of play, Guardiola refused to bring on his final two subs. He would wait until the 89th minute, well after City had lost their momentum, before bringing them on. By then, the game was lost.
There’s no doubt that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world. His record speaks for itself. However, he’s not above criticism
Given his team management leading into the game, the personnel he picked to execute his tactics in the game, and his inability to adjust to the flow the game, Guardiola got a lot wrong on Tuesday night. More than anyone, it was his mistakes in managing the game that cost Manchester City a chance to get a positive result.
City are by no means dead in the water heading into the second leg. Many would say it’s at least a coin flip still that City go through. However, they’ll have to play a heck of a lot better than they did last night if they want to make it to the semi-finals for the second time in their history.