Manchester City vs. Swansea: Tactical Preview of Premier League Game
The Premier League returns with a battle between top-four challengers Manchester City and Swansea City. Both sets of fans will still remember the 4-0 beating Sergio Aguero handed Brendan Rodgers' team on their Premier League debut in 2011, but the away side have come a long way since that day.
Let's take a tactical look at how this game might play out.
Manchester City
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Bacary Sagna has admitted to The Mirror that he left Arsenal because they didn't have the title-winning resolve he desired. This Manchester City season has been a little disastrous so far, though, and if they don't improve quickly, Sagna will be out of the reckoning even earlier than the Gunners' traditional March collapse.
The Daily Mail report that David Silva and Vincent Kompany are back in training, although the former will likely not be risked this weekend. In an ideal world Kompany is saved too, but Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis are not performing well together.
Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov are both out with calf ailments, meaning the front line and defensive line essentially picks itself. Question marks reign in midfield, with Yaya Toure a doubt after playing in Abidjan for the Ivory Coast this week.
Swansea City
Swansea are wholly difficult to predict post-international break due to the far-flung nature of some of their stars. In addition to possible Wilfried Bony fatigue, Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer are question marks in midfield.
It'd be a surprise if Jefferson Montero wasn't given another shot on the left wing after that stunning showing against Arsenal, and even if Bony sits out, Bafetimbi Gomis can provide the same punch up top.
Ashley Richards and Federico Fernandez are definitely out, though, paving the way for Kyle Bartley to partner stalwart Ashley Williams in defence and the usual full-backs Angel Rangel and Neil Taylor.
We're expecting a 4-2-3-1 from Garry Monk with Gylfi Sigurdsson in the No. 10 role.
Key Point 1: Between the Lines
It was expected in pre-season that Swansea would move to a more direct philosophy under Monk full-time, and while they initially dazzled with possession-based skills, they are now finally settling into a longer style of play.
The keys to that has been the induction of Montero in a more stable, consistent role on the left side and Sigurdsson's obvious excellence at finding space. Midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng can either control the tempo or slip a ball in between the lines for his Icelandic teammate, and that's a huge feature of the Swans' quicker build-up play.
City have struggled immensely over the last month or so when it comes to tracking runners penetrating behind the central midfield duo—a job Fernando is supposed to be excellent at. The Brazilian is bang out of form and Fernandinho is barely better; this could be a huge issue for City, especially on the counter.
Key Point 2: Wide Open?
“We know that they were going to come against us with big numbers and we know that they are vulnerable in the counterattacks,” Pontus Wernbloom told uefa.com (h/t The Independent). "We know they’re going to give us space...almost eight men who are staying with two central defenders."
This is damning stuff from the CSKA Moscow man, who after beating City 2-1 in the last round of UEFA Champions League matches, laid into Manuel Pellegrini's side and labelled them predictable.
The problem is he's right: City push men forward and commit at least seven, if not eight, to attacks at times, leaving the centre-backs high and dry on the halfway line. We saw Swansea punish an over-committal Arsenal in the last gameweek with a great counterattacking goal, and the fear here is that if Pellegrini doesn't switch things around, they could be overrun on the counter on their own turf again.
City need to attack more incisively and with few players at times. Yaya Toure needs to rekindle the ominous form he showed last season to help Sergio Aguero with the goalscoring load, and luck needs to turn with regard to some of the Jesus Navas crosses; he creates so many chances, but they're not being converted often enough.
