These are the four tactical keys to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City’s victory over Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final.
No surprise in Guardiola’s eleven and only the entry of Brozovic by Mkhitaryan in Inzaghi’s. Nor in the two match plans because City completely took the initiative of the game (55.7% overall and 61.7% in the first half) against an Inter who were super focused on closing passing lanes. But Guardiola had to tweak his plans with De Bruyne’s injury giving entry to Foden. But the citizens were not as fluent as other days.
In a Champions League final it is normal to have a point of prudence but City lacked determination in attacking play. He needed to do more conducting to force the second interista line to jump and he lacked, even more, daring in the outside dribble to overflow outside. And it is that in a team that plays without full-backs that double, it is vital that the wingers do so. City only registered 5 good dribbles in the first half and none outside. In the second, the citizens improved somewhat in this regard (8 total dribbles, two outside) even in a discreet way. Precisely for this reason, the Final was decided in one of the few internal ruptures that were made.
When City was already beginning to despair and feel all-or-nothing nerves, Rodri turned a rebound into a goal after a good run from Bernardo Silva. But it is that the midfielder from Madrid reigned at all heights. In the middle of the field he was the one who participated the most (80 interventions) and who gave the most criteria to the game (67 passes with 92% reliability). But it is that, without the ball, he was also absolutely decisive with nine recoveries (the most). A game to frame that he has done many times this season and that he repeated on day d and hour H. This City is also very much Rodrigo’s. Right now, the quintessential defensive midfielder of modern football.
City achieved the dream they were chasing and Guardiola the Champions League that resisted him outside of Barça. But for this, the coach has had to build a great team at all levels. Because beyond the great individualities that he has in a squad that has been improving year after year, the current City is a team without cracks. To the defensive problems corrected a couple of years ago with the arrival of Ruben DÃas, he has added the offensive forcefulness of having a nine as hierarchical as Haaland. Guardiola has known how to convert tactically, prioritizing the midfielders over the wings in a pattern that has suited the team wonderfully. City wins the Champions League being the highest scoring team (32) and the one that has conceded the least (only 5). City wins the Champions League with all fairness in the world.
