Champions League: Does Guardiola ‘overthink’ big games? City boss faces tough test against Atletico’s defensive shape

They have a penchant for ratcheting up the tension with their defensive zest but Atletico Madrid’s Champions League hopes on Wednesday face a tough test away at the Etihad. Having foiled the red half of Manchester in the previous round, Atletico will look to trump City as well. But the Spanish giants are up against Pep Guardiola and his possession-based free-flowing football in the first leg of the quarter-final.

Atletico Madrid and Manchester City are yin and yang, much like the two dynamic teams filled with contrasting elements and polar opposite styles of play. A rough-hewn Atletico will be tested away from home but the spotlight will be on Guardiola, who has been criticised for his selections in big games.

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Guardiola has said he always overthinks his tactics in the competition, further joking that he could even line up with 12 players against Atletico. But popular commentator and journalist John Dykes feels there are many layers to the paradigm. He pointed out the tactical prowess of the Sky Blues’ coach, who has twice won the Champions League as coach of FC Barcelona.

“About overcomplicating things… that’s classic Pep because nobody asked him that (overthinking), he raised it himself. I think maybe it was his way of saying, ‘You accused me of overthinking things but I’ve done that. These are good teams and I’ve to come up with tactics’. It’s easy for us to say that he does overthink big games, and we list the defeats versus Lyon and Liverpool and the changes he made. But Pep isn’t somebody who will change his belief. He’s adopted a plan for a particular reason,” Dykes told Hindustan Times in a virtual interaction.

“I think he brought that overthinking part to mention, ‘If you’re trying to say that I’m overthinking things, you’re belittling me with that criticism.’ He very carefully pointed out that he will come up with different tactical plans for Atletico game and weekend Premier League fixture against Liverpool. He was making that point as both oppositions are two very different teams with contrasting movements.”

“Guardiola pointed out the difference in movements of opposition teams, and that strikes me with the overthinking part. He is actually worried about what the other team might do to him and that’s the only thing that concerns me. They are the best when they don’t think much about the opposition,” he further added.

NO NUMBER NINE? NO PROBLEM

Manchester City are yet to lay their hands on the elusive Champions Trophy, and a defeat to Atletico will hand Guardiola his fourth quarterfinal exit in the last five seasons at the club. The City boss has faced Diego Simeone’s Atletico on three occasions and their last meeting was in the 2016 edition. Atletico knocked Bayern Munich out on away goals in the semis.

Guardiola has refused to be critical of the Spanish side’s style of football under Simeone. But City will have to rethink their plans to come to grips with the opposition’s defence. 

Guardiola will perhaps end the hunt for true No 9 by Erling Haaland to the Etihad but they are not short of attacking options at the moment. We can see Silva-Jesus-Sterling as the front three with Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez coming on as substitutes.

On the defensive front, Kyle Walker is banned and Ruben Dias will miss the first leg due to injury, and Dykes believes City’s backline will have to be extra cautious against Atletico.

“Guardiola doesn’t have a number nine but he will go with an option that works for him. I don’t there is any problem with City in the attacking sense, especially when you look at the sheer volume of goals they have scored this season. They have scored over 100 goals in all competitions and I don’t think they will have a problem going forward.

“But the only thing I’ve to say is that Guardiola will have to be a little bit mindful about what he does defensively. I think it’s Pep being Pep in being prickly but I think City will play the way they have been playing this season. They have been fantastic so far,” explained Dykes.

Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Quarter-final Leg 1) – LIVE on SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from April 6, 2022, at 12:30 am IST.

Watch Man. City vs. Atletico Madrid Live on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 6, 2022