Manchester City played out a pulsating 3-3 draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday night – and Steve Nicol has expressed his shock at one thing the visitors were doing at the Bernabeu.
Bernardo Silva gave City an early lead with some quick thinking on a free-kick, catching out Andriy Lunin.
But Real turned the game in its head within minutes, with Eduardo Camavinga’s strike deflecting in off Ruben Dias, and Rodrygo then squeezing in an effort just minutes later.
But Phil Foden got City back on level terms with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box, which impressed Gary Lineker. Josko Gvardiol then followed that up with a fantastic strike of his own, before Fede Valverde tied things up again late on.
A 3-3 draw is a pretty good result, considering the quality of the opposition and the fact City had key players missing.
It was perhaps to be expected that Real Madrid would score at least one goal given their firepower.
But former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol was left baffled by one tactic City adopted in the game…
Steve Nicol questions Pep Guardiola for deploying high line for Manchester City against Real Madrid
It is very common for City to use a high line these days, because it has the potential to suffocate the opponent.
City make it very difficult for the opponent to play out by squeezing up the pitch, and it often works a treat against sides that aren’t the best at playing out from the back.
But every so often, City play against teams capable of exploiting this tactic and on Tuesday, Real Madrid did just that.
On the second goal by Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior slipped his fellow Brazilian in when Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias were on the halfway line. Rodrygo was in his own half when Vinicius played the ball, and there was acres of space for him to run into.
Rodrygo got a bit lucky with the finish, but the high line from City allowed him to get into that position and Nicol was left baffled by the tactic.
He said when analysing the game on ESPN FC: “You’ve got to ask yourself, why are you leaving two on two at the back, against Vini and Rodrygo with the pace they’ve got.
“So then it’s man against man, if you get done it’s in the back of the net. The other thing is decision-making. The second goal, Akanji is in the opposition half and is trying to play offside. It’s just madness! And then you wonder why they’re losing three goals.
“You can’t get away with that all the time. You can play two vs two with Rodrygo and Vini, that’s just asking for trouble.”
High risk, high reward – but City must be so careful next week
It’s a tactic we see regularly from City, because there is always the potential for it to be high reward.
Some teams just cannot deal with being pressed high. But Real Madrid have serious quality up top and playing with a high line against Vini Jr and Rodrygo is indeed very risky.
To have done this at the Bernabeu without Kyle Walker in the backline with his recovery pace was very bold indeed.
There is much more reason to do it when the England international is playing and hopefully he will be fit for next week’s second leg. Pundit Chris Waddle firmly believes City are so much better at the back when he plays.
The warning signs are there now with this tactic against Madrid. Guardiola must surely instruct his backline to just drop a little deeper in the next game if Walker is not available.