Manchester City fell just short of the Champions League semi-final last night as they were beaten by a determined Olympique Lyon side in Lisbon.
After the Blues failed to defeat the French outfit twice in the Champions League last campaign, this was the perfect chance for redemption. However, their poor form in the knockout stages of the competition came back to haunt them as they lost 3-1 despite being tipped as huge favourites.
What went wrong?
A change of system in big matches can often throw the opposition off. Unfortunately for Pep Guardiola the change of formation did not phase the French side. A three at the back formation and a surprise start for Eric Garcia confused many. Guardiola a two time Champions League winner whilst managing Barcelona, has always backed up his ideas with trophies and is one of the worlds most sort after coaches but for many he out thought himself last night.
Pep' well known 4-3-3 formation is definitely one of the most feared systems around. With the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus surging forward it very rarely seems to end in anything other than a win for the Citizens. It seemed from a far that Guardiola adopted a 5-3-2 without the ball and a 3-4-3 with it. Despite a great chance in the first couple of minutes were we saw a typical Man City move with the ball being slipped in behind through the Centre half and Full back but a good clearance from Lyon' Fernando Marçal saw the early nerves settled.
Big chances missed...
The player in question that created the early chance, Raheem Sterling was man marked throughout the game sometimes with three men around him from throw ins down his wing. The same move in the second minute was repeated throughout the game but a chance for Rodri in the 42nd minute after a pullback from Sterling was shot straight at Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.
Rodri's miss became a regular occurrence for the side during the game after the Blues finishing left a lot to be desired for, with Sterling and Gabriel Jesus both missing big chances inside the penalty area.
Despite the chances missed, the defending from Lyon was absolutely superb, with the three defenders Jason Denayer, Marcelo and Marcal putting in inspirational performances in the Lyon backline. The six saves from Lopes between the sticks for Lyon proved to be very important alongside his commanding behaviour inside his penalty area throughout.
An overall summary
In the main it was a superb night for Lyon but an avoidable one from Pep Guardiola's perspective. It is clear to see the challenge was overthought by the City manager as he failed to stick to what he knew.
Leaving out the technical David Silva and the threatening Riyad Mahrez proved to be the wrong move. The three at the back formation left City under threat in behind with Fernandinho on the right of three regularly being exploited by the pacey, Maxwel Cornet. Overall it is a learning curve not only for Manchester City but for Guardiola.