ERLING HAALAND: THE IMPACT ON MANCHESTER CITY
Matching Pep Guardiola’s soccer thoughts with a center striker
TACTICS
Series "Tactics", 3
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The authors 7 Introduction 9 CH. 1 ERLING HAALAND AT MANCHESTER CITY: 2022-2023 DATA (as of the end of February 2023) 15 CH. 2 ERLING HAALAND: SITUATIONS OF PLAY 25 CH. 3 ERLING HAALAND: A PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT ON THE OPPONENTS 49 CH. 4 HOW MANCHESTER CITY CHANGED THE PATTERNS OF PLAY ....................................................................................................... 59 CH. 5 ERLING HAALAND AND MANCHESTER CITY WITH AND WITHOUT CANCELO FROM JANUARY 2023 ....................................... 71 5.1 Haaland in the Manchester City formation with Cancelo and the double “Inverted Full-back” 71 5.2 Haaland in the Manchester City formation without Cancelo and the “Inverted Full-back” 76 CH. 6 EXERCISES .................................................................................................. 85 1. Technical exercise passing and receiving while floating along an opposition's defensive line 86 2. Unopposed situation of play passing and receiving while floating along an opposition’s defensive line 88 3. 2 (+1) v 2 situation of play: act as a target man dropping deep from an opposition’s defensive line 90 4. 2 (+1) v 2 situation of play: invite the pressure by dropping deep to open a space to receive in behind 92 5. 3 v 4 duel to cut off an opposition’s defensive line and play in behind: mini-goals ...................................................................................................... 94 6. 3 v 4 duel to cut off an opposition’s defensive line and play in behind: regular goals 96 7. Technical circuit to seek for the third man run 98 8. Teams battle to score after a third-man run 100 9. 5 + 1 v 6 (4-2) + Gk: the center striker receives in behind or meets a cross 102 10. 5 + 1 v 6 (4-2) + Gk: center striker forces defenders to condense the ball’s area and open gaps ......................................................................... 104 CH. 7 ERLING HAALAND AND ANOTHER PEP GUARDIOLA’S EVOLUTION: A SNEAK PREVIEW 107 Sources ........................................................................................................................ 112 Glossary of abbreviations 113 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Erling’s father played for Manchester City during the early 2000s, and he is remembered for a famous foul by Roy Keane.
After Keane went down in a clash in 1997, Haaland furiously stood over him, accusing his opponent of feigning injury (picture 1, left side). It turned out that Keane had ruptured his cruciate ligament. The September 1997 fault would keep Keane out for the rest of that season. At that time, Alf Inge Haaland was a Leeds United player.
Their rivalry came to a head during a Manchester derby in 2001, with Keane playing for United and Haaland playing for City (picture 1, right side). After he clipped the ball away, his Irish opponent came steaming in. The United
9 ERLING HAALAND: THE IMPACT ON MANCHESTER CITY
INTRODUCTION
Picture 1 - Alf Inge Haaland’s foul against Roy Kean, and Roy Keane’s foul against Alf Inge Haaland. Source: www.thesun.co.uk.
Lastly, to state that Manchester City has become a counter-attacking team is not correct; to say that the style of play has developed into a more direct flow of play is entirely true.
24 ERLING HAALAND: THE IMPACT ON MANCHESTER CITY
Picture 15 - Passes’ starting zones to Haaland at Manchester City. 2022-2023 passing network as of February 2023. Source: theathletic.com.
ERLING HAALAND: SITUATIONS OF PLAY
This first example of the attacking phase that took Haaland to score the second goal in his first Premier League match explains the “more direct style of play”. City won the ball near the penalty area. Grealish set the ball back for Cancelo to avoid the marker’s pressure (picture 16). Cancelo dribbled the ball through the center channel inside the defensive half of the field (picture 17).
25
CHAPTER 2
Picture 17 - Cancelo carries the ball out of the condensed area and passes it to de Bruyne.
Picture 16 - Grealish drives the ball back and sets it for Cancelo.
Salida Lavolpiana” way, but he attempted to create space for the inverted full-back to receive at the back of the opposition’s pressure line.
It’s interesting to underline that, at this point, Manchester City attempted to condense the center channel in the middle third to open spaces out wide and for Haaland behind the opposition’s middle third line (picture 88). Remembering the touches’ heat map, the only area where City has in-
creased the combinations of play is the left one in the middle third, and the following are some patterns that can be found even after Cancelo’s departure on loan (with a center-back in place of Rodri and Walker as a third center-back).
Against higher pressing opponents (picture 89):
64 ERLING HAALAND: THE
ON
IMPACT
MANCHESTER CITY
Pictures 87 and 88 - Manchester City’s attacking shape with Haaland as a center striker after Cancelo’s departure.
1. Deploy the flank to drive the ball onto an early crossing space.
2. Direct play between the lines through the half-space.
Against lower block defending shapes (picture 90):
1. Deploy the flank to drive the ball onto a crossing space sideward, close to the penalty area.
2. Direct play between the lines through the half-space and mobile attacking midfielders between the lines.
Deploying a back three defense, with Gundogan as a midfielder in place of Can-
celo, the holding midfielder has become the first player to receive between the lines (front and middle-third line), with the attacking midfielders between the
65 4.
HOW MANCHESTER CITY CHANGED THE PATTERNS OF PLAY
Pictures 89 and 90 - Flows of play examples alongside the left side.
2 (+1) V 2 SITUATION OF PLAY: ACT AS A TARGET MAN
DROPPING DEEP FROM AN OPPOSITION’S DEFENSIVE LINE 03
DRILL TYPE
Game-related practice
DURATION
23 minutes
PREPARATION
Playing area: 44×21 yds
Players: 5
Series: 6 rounds of 3 minutes each with 1 minute of recovery after each round
ORGANIZATION
EQUIPMENT
• Markers
• 3 vests (2 of one color, 1 of a different one)
• 2 mannequins
• Balls
GOALS
• Creating space
• Support
• Depth
• Possession
• Passing
• Receiving
Divide the area into three zones (make the central one bigger). Place two mannequins as shown in the picture. Four players are paired as two teams, and a fifth one acts as a joker. B and J start the sequence in the side area, the second possession player starts inside the opposite end zone, and the center red and black defenders (C and D) complete the opposition’s line in the middle.
DESCRIPTION
• J carries the ball, and A must move off the ball behind the mannequin’s line
• A must receive a pass from C after dropping deep toward this side of the mannequins/defenders line, avoiding the offside rule
• B must move off the ball to be a quick and easy passing option for A to lay the ball back to him. The red and black defenders are fully active when A drops deep, and if they win the ball, the teams’ roles switch the next turn
• If B receives, he passes back to the joker, and he switches sides with teammate A
RULES
• The players are limited to one touch
• J carries the ball freely; A also moves freely off the ball through the opposite end zone
VARIATIONS
1. If player A can drop deep between the center defenders C and D (2b), the team wins a double attacking turn despite a potential loss of possession
90
COACHING POINTS
• Pay attention to quality of touches and technical gestures
• Move off the ball with the right timing concerning the defenders
• Avoid the offside rule
• Play at a high intensity throughout the whole active time
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