Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has called for three big European performances from his team. How are City likely to play in their three remaining group games?
Manchester City v Ajax
Next up for City are Dutch side Ajax, who won the reverse of this fixture 3-1 a fortnight ago. City have no choice other than to go for it in this game because their European hopes are now hanging by a thread. Don’t expect to see City counter attacking, they will try to win the ball quickly and keep possession as they build attacks. The defensive line needs to stay organised and feed the ball into the midfield quickly.
In terms of attack City will be patient because they will look to feed the strikers in behind the Ajax defence. Influential possession players such as Samir Nasri need to get on the ball and look for that killer short pass in a similar way to how Barcelona approach games they simply have to win. City will probably go for two strikers and expect one of hose strikers to play a little wider if City are struggling to penetrate through the middle of the Ajax defence.
Manchester City v Real Madrid
This is a match where City have to be a little more careful because Real Madrid have the players to punish any naivety on the part of City going forward. They will try and dominate the possession stats but they need to show variety in attack because Real Madrid are very effective defensively when the ball is in front of them and not being moved from wing to wing, hit long and threaded through the defence.
Defensively City need to be right on their guard because there is a lot of pace in the Real Madrid attack. If City push up to the halfway line as they look to press in attack then Real Madrid have three or four players in their side that can beat the offside trap and set up effective counter attacks with ease. It could be a very open game if City don’t hang onto the ball and stop the key Real Madrid players from having any influence in open play.
Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City
City will have to play completely differently in Dortmund if they make it this far and still have a chance of making the last 16. Dortmund is one of the most hostile places to go and play football in the world and City will face a lot of pressure from the attack of the German champions. Here, they need to soak up that pressure and counter attack. They need to add a little strength into their midfield and use fast wide players to get forward and support a long striker.
Defensively they will play deeper than you will see them play at the Etihad Stadium but Joe Hart will be important in keeping the defence out of the penalty area which will give him a better chance to react to long range shots and set pieces. It really will be a cast iron case of sit back and counter attack. If City need to win and go all out attacking then they will get picked off by an efficient side.
image: © Andrew Brannan
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