Manchester City 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb: 3 Reasons why Pep Guardiola's side won the game

#2 Manchester City dominated the midfield

Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb: Group C - UEFA Champions League

As is the norm nowadays, Pep Guardiola’s side dictated the game once again. Manchester City took control of the midfield early on the night and did not let go of the reins for the entire game. City ended the night with 81% possession and attempted 818 passes with 88% accuracy. Interestingly, the home side completed around 600 passes more than the visitors, which highlighted the level of dominance City had in the game! Pep Guardiola’s side also had 73 touches of the ball in the opponent box, compared to Zagreb’s 2! Only some lacklustre finishing stopped the Premier League side from winning by a bigger margin.

Key to City’s midfield dominance was Rodri, who ran the show for the Citizens on the night. The Spaniard attempted a match-high 126 passes with a 92% pass success rate and dictated the tempo of the game for the home side. Ilkay Gundogan was also crucial in the centre of the park, with the German midfielder registering 120 passes with 94% accuracy and also recording 2 key passes in the game.