Tactical preview: Manchester City vs Barcelona - Fernandinho and David Silva crucial for City

With a 4-4-2

If Man City start with a 4-4-2, they will have to work very hard to keep themselves in the game apart from dealing with Lionel Messi. They surely will have the numbers advantage with the Barca centerbacks, but will lose the midfield battle to the trio of Busquets-Xavi-Iniesta. But, that is not the full picture. Busquets could move into deep positions to make it a 3 v 2 situation, reducing the battle in midfield to a 2 v 2 between Iniesta-Xavi and Toure-Fernandinho.

This could benefit Man City, if Fernandinho plays a role similar to that of Javi Martinez, when Bayern played the Catalans last season.Yaya Toure is overpowering in the midfield with his physical presence and impeccable drive, and will be given the job of closing down Busquets when Barcelona have possession.

Against Bayern, Aguero didn’t close down the deepest midfielder, Lahm, and gifted the match. Pellegrini will be trying to avoid this situation again. Thus, being aware of the dual role Busquets plays, acting as a spare man for both midfield and defense, Man City will be looking to disrupt that rhythm, well before the play reaches the attacking third, to the feet of Messi and Neymar.

Going with the usual norm, David Silva, who is in hot form will be sure to start and will be positioned on the left wing. The role he took up against Chelsea on Saturday could well be the task he will be handed against Barcelona, albeit with excess defensive duties.

David Silva drifiting into central positions when Man City have possession will be the key feature for their dominance. This sort of inward-drifting not only overloads the midfield by increasing numbers for City, but also drags Dani Alves out of position, allowing Kolarov to get into attacking positions. Kolarov’s deadly crosses will be a major worry for the Barca defense, as they have shown their vulnerability to such situations against Valencia, a match which they lost.

Add to that, a target man like Dzeko and you get a brilliant tactic. But there is a downside to this, City could be caught on the break, as Dani Alves tends to play very high up the pitch, and the likes of Neymar and Messi are born to dribble.

With a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1

If Pellegrini opts to take a more reserved approach by using a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, the match could get very interesting. This strategy, gives some leeway for Pique and Mascherano, as they will have only Dzeko to deal with, but they still will be susceptible to crosses in the box, Especially when you have Jesus Navas patrolling one flank. Pellegrini will have to take a page from Valencia’s tactics at Nou Camp, if he wants to get any sort of edge.

The 4-3-3 is similar to a 4-2-3-1, with only slight changes in the orientation of the midfield triangle. There will still be those runs of David Silva into central positions, shifting the numbers game to a 4 v 3 situation in favor of the home side. This will potentially free up a midfield runner, allowing him to get forward, while linking up with the advancing Kolarov.

On the other flank, Jesus Navas will be up against Jordi Alba, making it an all Spanish affair. This one on one battle’s effect on the game will depend on the respective individual instructions given to either of the players. A more adventurous Alba, will leave gaps behind him for Navas and Zabaleta to exploit. Martino will mostly be trying to avoid this situation, so expect Alba to play conservatively.

Stuff that is not numbers

Whatever we analysed in the previous section was how Manchester City could play in the Barcelona half. It was discussed at length only because of the approach Barcelona have adopted this season. The Catalans are spending more time in the center of the pitch, than in the attacking third, which they usually used to do in previous seasons. Their possession stats fell by 3-4%, and they don’t rely entirely on Messi to get their goals. Alexis Sanchez’s 15 goals and Pedro’s 13 goals this season are a testament to that. This has given Messi an opportunity to develop himself into a more complete player, and making the hybrid striker/false-nine role his own.

This is what Man City will have to face in their half of the pitch, the trio of Neymar/Pedro-Messi-Sanchez. We have seen the situation with the midfield battles in different formations. All those can be toppled by the presence of Messi on the shoulder of City’s deepest midfielder. This deep central position of Messi in-turn forces one of the centerbacks to move out of position. This creates spacefor wingers like Sanchez, Neymar or Pedro to run into.

This has pretty much been Barca’s tactic for most of this season. Only Valencia, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid have come close to dislodging the Catalans, Messi played in only one of those games.

Onus will have to be placed on closing the gap between lines, reducing the space for Messi to operate in, and launching swift counters with players like Navas and Toure. But if Pellegrini will stick with his comments on ‘playing with identity’ will be left to see. Using a player like Nasri in the midfield triangle could solve a lot of problems for Manchester City, given the Frenchman’s impressive form and telepathic understanding with Silva.

Conclusion

Being a home game for Man City, they will be expected to get atleast one goal, and not concede any away goal(s). The brand of football the hosts play could prove too costly for them as they are entering untested waters, and against a team of Barcelona’s stature. The word of the day will be courage, for the City players. They will have to believe in themselves and execute their manager’s plan to perfection. As for Barcelona, it will be another day in the office. Man City might have defeated Bayern Munich in group stages, but one has to remember, that match didn’t hold any importance and it was not the first leg of a knockout tie.