Manchester City’s 3-0 win against Bayern Munich was a flex muscular to give Mikel Arteta cause for concern as Pep Guardiola demonstrated another tactical evolution which is set to revolutionise the world of football.
Previously with the likes of Joao Cancelo, Guardiola has deployed an inverted full-back who tucks into midfield to give a numerical advantage and offer another attacking option centrally.
A method we have seen Mikel Arteta adopt and adapt at Arsenal with Oleksandr Zinchenko who seems to go beyond the midfield at times.
With the Premier League title on the line and pressure to secure City’s first Champions League Guardiola has once again displayed a strategic masterclass with another change to his back four.
Kyle Walker who "cannot do" the "educated movements" an inverted full-back needs in the words of the manager has been benched in favour of a defensive line of Akanji, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake - all players who would describe their natural position as centre back.
The defence on Tuesday night had an average height of 6 feet and Guardiola aimed to use this on set pieces and crosses as the third goal revealed.
The two of the three City players that occupied the box as Julian Alvarez swung in a cross were defenders - Aknaji and Stones who flicked on the header for Erling Haaland to side foot on the volley.
Across Europe the top tacticians have taught teams to have a fluid rather than rigid formation so sides can become multifaceted and adaptable.
When City held possession of the ball Stones would step into midfield to form a double pivot with Rodri leaving the remaining defenders to form a wide back three.
But as the English international said, “It’s a big learning curve” for him and he does not yet possess the “360 vision that comes natural to some”.
Therefore Guardiola more often used Stones as a midfield decoy, shown by his 38 touches which was the third lowest in the starting eleven, allowing Rodri and Gundogan to position themselves higher and become a goalscoring threat.
The City manager earlier this month praised Stones: “Our shape was completely different [in the past] and that’s why maybe he struggled a little bit more and now he knows, he practiced more, he knows more our routine is a little bit better and that’s why he can use it better.
“When you see the game from behind it’s completely different to when you play in the middle and are surrounded. Some movement and patterns are a little bit more difficult that’s why I appreciate a lot what he has done.
“We saw some specific things [in John] with the ball, especially in the build-up,” he added. “We were happy to have him but all that he has achieved here and with the national team belongs to him.”
Rodri further boosted their monstrous attack as demonstrated by the first goal of the night, cutting past a too eager Jamal Musiala to curl with his weaker left foot into the top corner from 25 yards out. A position we have not seen the Spanish midfielder to typically step into.
This is a system which relies heavily on Ake and Akanji’s ability to defend 1v1 as they done successfully against arguably three of Europe’s best wingers in Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.
Another key player was Bernardo Silva whose reintroduction proved to be pivotal as he gave the defensive workrate any coach would dream of with eight tackles and contesting 23 ground duels.
The former Bayern and Barcelona manager praised Silva for his ability to "play everywhere because he understands the game perfectly in every action with and without the ball".
City performed so efficiently that it gave the illusion that they dominated possession but in fact Bayern had 56 percent of the ball.
A performance that has put the Premier League on notice proving they are more than capable of catching Arsenal to lift their third successive Premier League. A feat that has not been done since 2008-09 by Sir Alex Ferguson’s United.
The Opta predictor now favours City to do so, 51.4 per cent to Arsenal’s 48.6. Most spectators and bookies also do convinced not only by their beautiful football but also by Haaland who set a record for goals scored by a Premier League player in all competition with 45 beating Mo Salah (2017-18) and Ruud Van Nisterlrooy’s (2002-03) 44.
The Gunners are yet to come to the Etihad for what has been suggested as the title winning match, but with City seemingly entering a higher level of play Arteta will need to improve beyond imigination to take three points.
When City beat Arsenal at the Emirates it could be debated that Guardiola's side were vulnerable with Silva at left back but now they have solidified their core that makes the world's best teams look feeble.
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