Pep Guardiola met Javi Gracia once again after City’s 1-2 win over Watford in December. However this time, both teams had different priorities to target considering their positions in the Premier League. City looked to win their sixth consecutive game to hold a point-advantage over Liverpool, while Watford sought to maintain their seventh place.
Manchester City hosted Watford before important fixtures outside the Premier League for both teams. The Etihad turf will need to be raked and forked again before their Champion’s league tie against Schalke tomorrow. On the other hand, Watford, with a positive run at the FA Cup, will prepare to face Crystal Palace this weekend. Inevitably, using the squads economically would also be the focus of this game for both managers.
In this tactical analysis, we see how Watford deployed a rope-a-dope tactic to face league front runners Manchester City.
To read the full tactical analysis and breakdown – click here
If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Pre-order your copy of the March issue for just ₤4.99 here, or even better sign up for a ₤50 annual membership (12 monthly issues plus the annual review) right here.
