Seven games after Joao Cancelo left Manchester City, and Pep Guardiola appears to have settled on a solution for getting through the season without him.
Nathan Ake was the chosen left-back after the World Cup and played so well that Cancelo felt his first-team chances were so limited that he had to leave. Since then, Ake has only started as the designated left-back three times, with Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva operating on the left to give City a completely new look from the back.
Once upon a tie, a back three would strike fear into City fans. Now, it appears it is the way City intend to progress this season - not once since Cancelo departed has Guardiola played two 'traditional' full backs.
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Going game-by-game, and it's clear to see how Guardiola's intended use of a back three has developed. He had previously used Rico Lewis in Cancelo's 'inverted right-back' role, and in the first game following Cancelo's departure, it was Lewis replacing him on the left.
At Tottenham, Lewis operated from the left but tucked inside where possible, with the rest of the formation fairly similar as Julian Alvarez joined the midfield behind Erling Haaland and with two regular wingers who would more likely cut inside than go to to the byline. A back three reduces the chances for an overlap, but the approach at Spurs seemed to be to attack through the middle.
For the visit of Aston Villa, Guardiola again wanted a full-back cutting inside, but for more control he opted for Bernardo as the 'left-back' as the midfielder looked to relish his increased tactical brief. Again, Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish were on the wing, but Bernardo's energy and positional awareness helped crowd the midfield and City won relatively comfortable.
So Bernardo stayed as the 'false left-back' at Arsenal, but was more of a traditional full-back in the sense that he was needed to complete a back four to try and stop Bukayo Saka. Only when Ake came on and Bernardo moved into the attack, did City put Arsenal to the sword. There was work to do with the back three and the Bernardo experiment.
But Bernardo made it three starts in a row in defence as City dominated possession at Nottingham Forest, helped by him pushing forward into midfield. Phil Foden returned to the wings to add some more direct attacking to put crosses in, but a resolute defence held firm and Forest snatched a draw.
Against RB Leipzig, then, Guardiola mixed things up once more, sticking with a back three but moving Kyle Walker forward as the designated 'false' full-back. This time, Walker pushed up into the wing positions when City had the ball, and that gave Riyad Mahrez space to exploit inside between the full-back and centre-back. As players were attracted to that overload, Grealish benefitted from more space to cut inside, and he set up Mahrez for City's goal.
The trip to Bournemouth saw Lewis return for Walker, reprising his role moving into midfield - and even further forward as a number eight. Foden was back, as was Alvarez, and their direct running on the inside channels helped City score four by the 50-minute mark. When Lewis was allowed to move forward, he was tasked with making those inside runs to the byline, and continued Guardiola's desire for overloads on the wings and runners on the inside of the wide winger.
Maybe most obviously, that tactic showed at Bristol City, where Bernardo was permanently back in midfield, but often drifted out to the left wing to hug the touchline as Foden produced a relentless attacking display just on his inside. Lewis was again the inverted full-back, and players like Ake continued their good form by knowing when to switch between a back three and four. Ake has even popped up with some useful attacking contributions in the area of late.
So Guardiola seems to be finding a formula that allows more control in the centre by moving a full-back alongside Rodri, while also keeping width and creating space for a runner to the byline - either inside of the full-back or outside. To do that without Cancelo is all the more impressive.
Whether Bernardo continues at left-back, or it is Lewis given licence to play more, Guardiola has used his experienced defence to provide adequate cover for Cancelo, increase control of the midfield, and even introduce a new approach for his wingers. All in the space of a month.
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March 03, 2023 at 01:00PM
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