Will English Football Hamper Manchester City’s Champions League Aspirations?
As Luis Suarez’ shot flew past Adán for Barcelona’s fifth that Sunday afternoon, one might’ve wondered where it all went wrong for Real Betis. They entered halftime at 0–0 after what can only be described as an exceptional defensive performance tailor-made to frustrate Barcelona’s otherworldly attackers. The brilliance of their defending lied within their high pressing tactics and a high line so in tune it nearly gave Luis Suarez an aneurysm.
Part of what made Betis so successful in the first half was their ability to force Barcelona to create attacking opportunities in their own half through a high press. Usually, when a team has both the quality and ability to be dominant in possession, they like to impose themselves in the oppositions half, allowing them to dominate possession and create attacking opportunities close to their opposition’s goal and, subsequently, far from their own. Real Betis’ selective high press and offside trap kept Barcelona from dominating the ball closer to their goal, which is helpful if you’re trying not to concede, while also giving them the chance to create shots by winning the ball in Barcelona’s half.
Their aggressive strategy worked so well -for 45 minutes- because they knew Barcelona didn’t have the players to overcome it. Now, that isn’t something we usually say when it comes to one of the most dominant clubs in Europe, but hear me out. Some teams invoke this sense of deeper possession because they can provoke a high line and expose the space in behind with pacey forwards. Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne, and Jose Callejon of Napoli thrive in the deep possession their team creates because of the qualities they possess. Barcelona, with an aging Suarez, a Messi who is played a bit deeper, Ousmane Dembélé lacking full fitness, and newly purchased Philipe Coutinho still unable to take the field, rely on other methods to break teams down.
With the departure of Neymar and the hiring of Ernesto Valverde in the summer, Barcelona have had the opportunity to return to their counter-pressing roots without being hampered by players unwilling to perform adequately both on and off the ball. With their approach all too idealistic for a game against Barcelona, Quique Setién’s Real Betis and their insistence to play out of even the most insane pressure ultimately handed them a heavy defeat. Though Ivan Rakitic’s first goal was a successful attempt at chance creation in the difficult circumstances created by Betis (the midfielder repositioned higher up the pitch, occupied a defender which put the focus of their offside trap between two points, he and Suarez, and then played a 1–2 before they had the chance to adjust), Barcelona shifted their approach to one that allowed Betis to create problems for themselves. If they were going to insist on continually regaining the ball through an offside trap and effective pressing, then they could have it and deal with the pressure that came with it.
So, what does Barcelona v Betis have to do with Manchester City and their Champions League aspirations, you might ask. Well, they may be more related than we think. These kinds of tactically apt defensive performances that stray far from a team packing it in close to their own goal and getting shelled aren’t few and far between behind the mysterious fog that shrouds the ‘other’ four leagues in Europe. Teams in La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga often refuse to ‘accept their fate’ and lineup to try and hit the big teams where it hurts; a far cry from the English tradition of packing it in and sending it up to the big man on occasion. Despite my mocking, this isn’t an attempt to knock perfectly justifiable defensive tactics, what does garner a closer look, however, is the effect that the frequency of these tactics has on teams looking to attain a European crown.
As previously mentioned, weaker teams’ willingness to challenge the usual league leaders in ways considered unconventional in England is perhaps a bit more frequent outside of the Premier League. And while there are those who will rage on about what that may or may not say about the dominant footballing cultures in Europe, the tactical significance is important because a proactive defensive approach is more akin to the type of performance a top team will face in their most important games. Liverpool’s exceptional pressing performance was not too far off of what Betis looked to do against Barcelona. The two sides obviously differed in both quality and result, but, as the analytics showed, Betis’ tactics were effective for nearly 60 minutes. Quieting one of the most talented groups of players in the world for a half and some is nothing to scoff at.
This frequency in what is likely to be the approach taken by their Champions League rivals, however, is something rarely seen by Manchester City. Only a handful of teams have employed a high pressing strategy against the Citizens, an even smaller portion have been English, and only one side on that list has done so successfully -and they lost to Swansea in the following week.
City’s dominance in the league is a result of the almost omniscient football we’ve come to associate with Pep Guardiola. Their ability to create chances while lacking adequate space in the final third is part of what makes this team such a marvel. The problem arises when a team of talented individuals has weeks, even months, to create a plan tailor-made to to frustrate your otherworldly attackers. This isn’t to say Manchester City are bad against the top teams, they’re demonstrably quite good, but Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the like will not only have more experience in dealing with efficient pressing outfits but also, especially in Barcelona’s case, be proficient in doling it out themselves in sustained periods without the ball.
Of course, the latter part of that equation, and even the question as a whole is something that is both seen by Guardiola and the public as a problem for him to solve. A relative inflexibility in regards to tactical approach is something often heard when Cruyff’s most prominent disciple is discussed, but his domineering brand of football can be difficult to criticize when the results are what is reflected across his career. As we saw last season against, of all teams, Barcelona, Guardiola has no plans to relinquish control of possession, but what is a team if not an entity that is as greatly, if not more so, influenced by its surroundings as well as its manager.
Before Manchester City’s undefeated run came to a thunderous close against Liverpool, Guardiola had been peppered with questions about the dynamics of going undefeated and what that meant to him and his players, to which he always said that it was not a goal of theirs. What does come through in the games where the results are closer than those who dawn sky blue apparel in hopes of yet another spectacle are comfortable with is that he wanted, and perhaps more importantly, sees the necessity of the challenge. As an experienced coach, he understands his team must experience roadblocks that require unique solutions; a sentiment that’s true from both a psychological and tactical perspective. The question is, can the Premier League supply it?
