Manchester City 3-1 Sunderland: Tactical Analysis

How Man City protected themselves from a Sunderland revival

With Sunderland needing a goal again to get back into the game with the score at 2-1, a similar approach was likely to be followed by Sunderland to create quick chances for themselves. Ball to midfielders at half-way line, long-ball over the top, that was the gameplan.

Pellegrini realised this and deployed his side to prevent exactly that from taking place. David Silva and Fernandinho were positioned in the heart of the midfield to break play up. The two were required to win the ball back from the Sunderland midfielders at the half-way line, or atleast prevent them from having a clear shot at a through ball to Borini & Fletcher. Quite a masterstroke from the Chilean boss, nullifying Sunderland’s main threat.

The other threat that they offered involved the full-backs (explained later). But with Adam Johnson withdrawn, and Borini the only real wide attacking man, Zabaleta & Kolarov had an easy defensive duty of just neutralising the threat from the full-backs. Even as the superior side, Pellegrini realised that they needed to ensure a shock wasn’t on the cards and had to play it safe, preventing Sunderland from playing through their strengths before trying anything.

David Silva (5), Fernandinho (4), Pablo Zabaleta (5) & Aleksandar Kolarov (4) had 18 successful tackles between them, with those individual ones being the highest on the pitch. Pellegrini’s defensive approach was pulled off to perfection.

Sunderland response opens the game up

Once that second goal went in, it seemed to be all over for Gus Poyet and his boys. But Sunderland weren’t looking to sit back in a rare Wembley appearance. They went with the intentions of putting on a show, and claiming the League Cup. This showed in their football, the players were inspired to get back into the game.

Sunderland started getting forward with more about them in attack, full-backs Alonso & Bardsley were providing an avenue of attack. These two were deployed with the intention of providing width to the side. The thing about advancing full-backs, unlike wingers, is that they won’t be marked, so they’re largely making free unmarked runs down the flanks.

Adam Johnson faded away after the opening part of the first half and was withdrawn, replaced by Craig Gardner. Gus Poyet thus looked to provide numbers to Sunderland in the middle of the park, with full-backs pushing on. The midfielders didn’t get into the box too much, but rather looked to play something in for their attackers.

This attacking intent automatically acted as a defensive ploy, preventing Manchester City themselves from being too adventurous, the players sat back and didn’t get complacent, showing respect to their opponents. The space in Sunderland’s defence, unlike in the first half, was a tempting scenario and allowed Manchester City to play a bit as well. All in all, the last quarter of the game was an open affair; Pellegrini’s men had the lead but the trophy wasn’t secure with Sunderland making a decent case for themselves.

As the game drew to a close, Sunderland pushed more players forward. Full-backs and midfielders were higher up than before and no cover at the back. This allowed City in on a counter and a five on two situation (to Man City’s favour); this led to the 3rd goal and the killer blow as City secured the Capital One Cup.

Sunderland players dejected after the defeat against Manchester City

Where does this leave them?

Manchester City have more to look forward to with a quadruple still on the cards (albeit an unlikely chance at the Nou Camp). For Sunderland, their cup run(s) have inspired their survival push and they can take a lot of heart from the contest. Both sides still have a lot to play for; Sunderland won over many with their performance, but Manchester City needed/wanted that trophy more than their opponents. They’ll be delighted at having secured a trophy early on.