Tag: Manchester City

Game of Numbers #22 – Rodri’s Champions League redemption story

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Defensive Midfield, Game of Numbers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Player Analysis, Premier League, UEFA Champions League

Rodri never needed to redeem himself, but Pep Guardiola likely did after leaving his prized defensive midfielder out of the Champions League final against Chelsea two seasons ago. The Spanish midfielder has been immaculate this campaign, helping to dictate much of City's stellar possession and defensive solidity. Easily the best defensive midfielder in the world at the moment, Rodri has been integral to City's success all season long at the heart of their midfield. It was a perfect ending to the fairytale for the Spaniard to cap off a wonderful season with that decisive Champions League final goal, but his performance was about so much more. Here is the final Game of Numbers for the European 2022-23 season.

Why Raphaël Guerreiro would be perfect for Manchester City

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Data Analysis, Fullback, German Bundesliga, Masterclasses, Player Analysis, Recruitment & Scouting

Any scouting & recruitment scenario is based on a variety of factors, and Guerreiro would be a dream signing for Manchester City based on a variety of factors. For Dortmund's perspective, you simply cannot let him go for free. But for a club like Manchester City, this would be an absolute no-brainer.

The best role changes of 2022-23 in the Premier League

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Central Midfield, Coach Education, Coaching, Defensive Midfield, Fullback, Masterclasses, Player Analysis, Premier League, Recruitment & Scouting, Striker

There is nothing that fascinates me more about tactical team construction than how managers change the job titles of certain players to achieve certain results. That may be to combat a strength of an opposition, to bring out a strength in their own team set-up, to bring the best out of a player at their disposal, or even simply to fill a hole. I created an entire series around this premise called 'Game of Numbers', analyzing the various roles that individual players take up to help their teams achieve success. With that, I highlight some of the best positional tweaks this campaign, detailing how managers were able to get the best out of each player.

Pep Guardiola – Manchester City – Tactical Analysis (2022-23)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Managers, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

For much of the 2022-23 season, Arsenal looked like genuine title favourites, with the Gunners in full flow under a former Pep Guardiola mentee, Mikel Arteta. But in the past few months, the Gunners have slowly started to slip away, and tip the scale back in favour of the team that have won four of the last five seasons. Pep Guardiola's team have been absolutely immaculate as the season has come to a close, under much in the way of new, evolving tactics. We break down the tactical undertones of Guardiola's team in 2022-23, and how they've evolved their approach in the quest for another league title.

Game of Numbers #14 – Ilkay Gündoğan’s Movement Masterclass

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Central Midfield, Coach Education, Game of Numbers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Player Education, Premier League

İlkay Gündoğan had a masterclass of a performance against Liverpool, playing a massive part in their commanding 4-1 win over their title challengers from last season. It was vintage Gündoğan at his best, and showcases City's potential to continue putting on top quality performances even without the presence of Erling Haaland. Here is Game of Numbers #14, illustrating Gundogan's movement masterclass!

Manuel Akanji at Man City – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Centre Backs, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Premier League

Even at the cut-price of £15 million, many unaware football fans were skeptical of Manchester City's move for Manuel Akanji. The thought was that he was an unreliable defender, who frequently made critical defensive errors leading to goals. This happened a few times in Akanji's early days at BVB, and painfully for us as fans, most crucially in the lead-up to Dortmund losing the title in Favre's first year. But what many failed to recognize despite my constant banging of the drum last year - Akanji had grown into one of the best defenders on the planet in his final two seasons at the club. Here is our analysis of Manuel Akanji's start to life at Manchester City.

Why Erling Haaland scores so many goals

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Analysis, Player Education, Premier League, Striker

Let's not get overly simplistic about this. Erling Haaland is the best footballer in the world at the moment. But how he scores so many goals can be scrutinized in far greater depth than simply saying he's an alien. So with that, here is our latest analysis on the great Erling Haaland, and how he scores so many incredible goals.

Football analysis with FBRef

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Data Analysis, Masterclasses

In the past year of football analysis, FBRef has become my favourite platform for collecting data, comparing players, and identifying hidden success stories. The website, powered by StatsBomb, is an awesomely free open-source platform for football statistics. In this article, as part of our Introduction to Football Analysis course, I'm going to be taking you through how to get the most out of FBRef, and how to use the well-known platform as a tool to strengthen your analysis. Let's dive in!