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Rewatching the 2nd half of the game and some things I noticed about the shape off the ball: a thread
1/ In the first half - especially in the first 25 mins or so - City set up in a 433 press when PSG had the ball, and allowed their CBs to operate with lots of time on the ball, keeping the defensive line fairly deep.
2/ I understand the reason for this, as PSG are so dangerous between the lines that I think Pep wanted Rodri to offer a bit more cover for direct passing between the lines.
3/ However, it was pretty clear that this was not working after the first half an hour or so. PSG adapted well to the 433 shape they faced with a slower, wider build up which allowed them to bypass the press easily, and found themselves with qualitative overloads out wide.
4/ In the latter stages of half and the 2nd half, city switched to a 442 press. De Bruyne and Bernardo went narrow as Navas had the ball, stopping progressive passes into Gueye and Paredes.
5/ As the ball inevitably went to the CBs, City’s front 4 pressed man for man, as the midfield 2 pressed gueye and paredes. With the city back 4 squeezing up and Ederson stepping to up, there was no space for Neymar or Mbappe: showed by the fact Mbappe had only 30 touches overall
6/ Ultimately, Pep’s switch in defensive shape didn’t work initially, however he showed his adaptability in changing the shape fairly quickly, allowing City to control and dictate the game. End of Thread.
