OMAR MARMOUSH’S dazzling debut got Manchester City fans off their seats again.
The £59million buy from Frankfurt ran Chelsea ragged for 74 minutes in their 3-1 win on Saturday — and was unlucky not to score.
And in SunSport’s Tactics Exposed show, DEAN SCOGGINS looks at how Marmoush is central to Pep Guardiola’s new ‘direct’ tactical plan as he tries to reignite their push for trophies this season.
Here are three tactical nuggets from City’s Etihad triumph…
1) NOT TIKI-TAKA, BUT QUICK ATTACKER
Marmoush was electric, playing off the left as more of an ‘inside forward’ rather than a winger or No 10.
It was noticeable how direct City were — it was not the short, quick passes between the lines we are so used to from Guardiola teams.
But, instead, there were balls over the top and around Chelsea to the likes of Marmoush, Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes bursting through the defence.
Marmoush set the tone — pointing to where he wanted the ball played, coming short, off striker Erling Haaland, before spinning and darting into spaces behind Chelsea’s high line.
Norwegian striker Haaland had cut a lonely and isolated figure during City’s horror run in November and December but he was back smiling again on Saturday.
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He scored a wonderful goal and had some mates to play with. Marmoush complemented Phil Foden on the other side in playing off and around the frontman.
City keeper Ederson was direct and played it straight up to Haaland when he was left one-v-one against a defender.
But it wasn’t just ‘hoof it’, this was a tactical plan with Marmoush and Foden completing a triangle of attackers that gave Chelsea’s backline nightmares.
As Haaland pinned the defenders, Foden and Marmoush supported him. And when Haaland came short, his partners in attack burst into the space behind.
It gave City a new dimension and, as Pep admitted last week, was more akin to the ‘modern’ style of Liverpool, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Brighton.
2) NEW SHAPE, NEW CITY
Spaniard Guardiola’s switch-up was not just in their direct style, it was also the shape he got his players to take up.
Lots of Premier League teams move into a 3-2-5 attacking shape from whatever their ‘on-paper’ line up is.
City would usually do this from a 4-3-3 set-up by inverting a full-back into midfield, leaving three defenders, a holding midfielder alongside that full-back in midfield and five attackers to roam ahead.
But against Chelsea, Pep’s new shape saw it become a 2-3-5 in attack with Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan playing as the three in front of the centre-backs and full-backs Gvardiol and Nunes pushing right up into the attacking line.
It was bold — Chelsea almost punished City losing possession early on but Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer wasted chances — though City grew into the game and were a constant threat to Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca’s side pack midfield, so City went around and over it.
3) FULL-BACKS A THROWBACK
Gvardiol is now the top-scoring defender in the Prem, so it’s no surprise to see him bursting forward into the box.
It was more of a shock to see Nunes play at right-back in previous games — but in this shape, he wasn’t really a defender for most of the match.
Pep got his full-backs to play like Nineties and Noughties attacking full-backs, overlapping, hugging the line and pushing their opposition wingers back.
Their heat maps show they barely ventured infield and Gvardiol’s goal came from Nunes’ shot and run being parried by Robert Sanchez as BOTH made runs beyond Haaland and in behind Chelsea.
Gvardiol pinning back Noni Madueke also saw the Blues winger play Nunes onside for City’s opening goal.
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