Firstly, let’s have a look at first match. Southampton started to the match with 4-4-2. And Manchester City were looking like 2-3-5 in set attacks. Full backs help defensive midfielders about making game and right and left centre midfielders support forward.
And Southampton were taking position like this against Manchester City’s set attacks. Both centre forwards were taking position between stoppers and defensive midfielders. 4 midfield players were ready to support centre forwards. Defenders had numerical disadvantage against Manchester City’s forward players with 5 vs 4 but it’s not a problem for them. Because when Manchester City’s players were trying to make game, they pressed immediately and didn’t let Manchester City use long and diagonal passes to use forwards’ numerical advantage.
Southampton used high pressing against Manchester City. When Manchester City started to make game with stoppers, one of the centre forwards immediately pressed to him. The stopper couldn’t pass to defensive midfielder directly because the centre forward who was pressing to him was taking position between the stopper and defensive midfielder to cut this connection. So the stopper could pass to full back or the other stopper.
Passing to stopper or full back was not so different because if he would pass to stopper, the stopper would have to try to pass full back or the other stopper again. So the ball would go to full back in the end.
After the ball went to the other stopper or full back, Manchester City’s winger who was closer to the ball now, was shifting to back to help about making game. So now he was a pass option too. But he was not free because Southampton’s defense line shifted to wing the ball was closer to there too.
When the ball went to full back, full back could pass to defensive midfielder because now even still the connections between stoppers and defensive midfielder were cutting by Southampton’s centre forwards, not any Southampton’s player cut the connection between him and full backs. But the problem was, if full back would pass to defensive midfielder, Southampton’s one of 2 centre midfielders was pressing to defensive midfielder quickly and defensive midfielder would lose the ball or passing back the ball. So all this process would start again.
Full back couldn’t use right winger directly because when he closed to stoppers to take the ball, his face was looking to stoppers. So to pass to right winger directly, he had to turn but he couldn’t because if he tried, Southampton’s left midfielder would steal the ball from him.
But it wasn’t a big problem for Manchester City. Because if full back would have a problem like this, stoppers shifted to wing a little bit to be a pass option for them and made a connection with wingers.
Southampton’s centre forwards couldn’t stop stoppers from taking the ball. When they were cutting the connection between stoppers and defensive midfielder, even Manchester City’s defensive midfielder and full backs were behind them, they could accord their positions and even if they couldn’t cut the connection, centre midfielders could shift forward to support pressing. So it wouldn’t be a problem. But now when the ball went to midfield and then back to defense, they had to accord their positions again and the stoppers needed only 1 second to pass the ball wing. And so even if centre forwards could accord their positions, because stoppers needed just one passing the ball moment in a big space, they could pass the ball to wing with one touch.
After the ball went to winger, now Manchester City’s being effective possibility was more because there were 3 players who could confuse Southampton’s mind if they could work together accordingly. They couldn’t directly make game with these players but wingers went defense and between wing to centre, they joined to make game process in between defense and midfield. With that extra player, they could change the game’s direction quickly.
After Manchester City had an effective attack in 23th minute, Southampton changed the line up. Number 6 player Romeu started to take position in centre stopper role in 5 players defense line and they turned to a 5-3-2 line up.
This time, Manchester City’s defensive midfielder found a little bit more space and time to be effective with the ball. Previously, there were two centre midfielders in Southampton. And this time, even not one of them would match with Manchester City’s defensive midfielder closely, one of them could go quickly without thinking his back. But now there was only one centre midfielder so when he went front to cover Manchester City’s defensive midfielder, there wasn’t an extra player who waited behind him. So because of that, centre midfielder started not to go to cover defensive midfielder quickly like before. Still he kept closing to defensive midfielder but not as quickly as before. Now he was more ginger.
Then in 37th minute, the formation changed again. One of the centre forwards shifted to midfield and the formation became to 5-4-1.
This time, one centre forward started not to be able to cover two stoppers and one defensive midfielder at the same time. Now he couldn’t cut both connections between defensive midfielder and stoppers at the same time. So Manchester City started to use stoppers so effectively. Defensive midfielder started to be effective too because Southampton’s centre midfielders were not closing to defensive midfielder quickly. When pressing to stoppers level became less, pressing to defensive midfielder level became less too. And when defensive midfielders and stoppers had more space and time, Manchester City started to be effective. Southampton’s defense line was close to midfield. So when pressing to Manchester City’s stoppers and defensive midfielder level became less, stoppers and defensive midfielder started to make connections with forward players more comfortably. Because already there wasn’t so much distance between stoppers and forward players. And also forward players had enough space to escape from Southampton’s defense line’s behind.
With second half, they came back to first formation 4-4-2. They were not pressing so aggressively like first half’s 4-4-2.
Sometimes Manchester City could make game with right and left centre midfielders’ half-space positionings. When they were in half-space, they were in between Southampton’s one stopper and full back. So sometimes Southampton’s both full back and stopper closed to Manchester City’s right or left centre midfielder and this time winger became free in wing. Or sometimes when right or left centre midfielder closed to midfield to take the ball, Southampton’s stopper didn’t match him closely and Manchester City could make game. Manchester City tried to use these movements. In the second half, Southampton changed the formation twice but they used previous formations.
In the second match, Southampton and Manchester City started with the first match’s formations. With an early goal, Southampton started to meet Manchester City a little bit back.
Southampton’s players gave extra space and time to Manchester City’s stoppers, full backs and defensive midfielder. If these players were not going to midfield, Southampton’s players didn’t press them aggressively but also didn’t let them completely free.
Southampton could restrict Manchester City’s making game ability. In set defences, Southampton’s 4 midfielders and 4 defenders could cover Manchester City’s 3 forwards and right and left centre midfielders. Southampton had numerical advantage with 8 vs 5.
Southampton’s wingers took position in half-spaces and didn’t let Manchester City’s right and left centre midfielders to take the ball comfortably. If the winger had to shift wing, this time one centre midfielder closed to half-space and covered this area.
Because of stoppers, full backs and defensive midfielder had extra space and time, they could pass the ball to wingers comfortably. But it didn’t work because Southampton’s defense line wasn’t so close to penalty box. So it means, when the ball went to a wing, Southampton’s full back could close to wing before Manchester City’s winger would be dangerous. And when Southampton’s defense line had to close to penalty box, still Manchester City couldn’t be so effective because this time, Southampton’s 4 midfielders closed to defense line so much and didn’t let Manchester City’s players to find great chances with crosses. And because midfielders were so close to defense line, defenders could go to wings to cover Manchester City’s players safely because midfielders could cover their spaces in defense line quickly.