Tactical Analysis: Manchester City Secures Fourth Consecutive Premier League Title with 3-1 Win Over West Ham
Manchester City secured their fourth consecutive Premier League title with a 3-1 victory against West Ham United at home. Phil Foden’s double in the first 18 minutes put the hosts in a comfortable position. However, a moment of brilliance from Mohammed Kudus just before halftime reduced the deficit, giving David Moyes’ team a glimmer of hope. Despite this, Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the second half, with Rodri scoring from outside the box to restore Manchester City’s two-goal advantage.
Starting Lineups
Pep Guardiola makes two changes from the 2-0 victory against Tottenham. Stefan Ortega replaces Ederson, who was injured during that match after a collision with Cristian Romero. The second change is Jeremy Doku coming in for Kovacic, who moves to the right flank, with Rodri remaining the lone pivot.
David Moyes opts for a slightly different formation from the usual 4-2-3-1. He chooses a formation with a defensive line of three center-backs, where Mavropanos, returning from injury, replaces Ogbonna, and Cresswell takes on the role of the third center-back.
Match Report
Kudus reignites hope for West Ham
Manchester City started the match strongly, with Phil Foden opening the score in the 2nd minute with a spectacular shot from outside the box. Mavropanos made a bad clearance, allowing Haaland to pass to De Bruyne, who found Silva on the right wing. Silva delivered a precise pass to Foden, who scored with a well-placed shot.
City continued to dominate, and in the 18th minute, Foden scored his second goal after a play initiated by Doku. Gvardiol bypassed two West Ham midfielders and passed to Haaland, who perfectly set up Doku. Doku then passed to Foden, who finished from close range.
West Ham had few chances in the first half, but Kudus reduced the deficit in the 42nd minute with a spectacular goal. After a corner taken by Ward-Prowse, Kudus executed a bicycle kick that caught Ortega off guard.
Rodri Scores to Secure City’s Fourth Title
Manchester City entered the second half with a clear intention to secure the victory and, consequently, the championship title. In the 59th minute, Rodri scored City’s third goal with a precise long-range shot following a creative pass from Bernardo Silva, marking his second assist of the day.
After the third goal, West Ham struggled to create offensive opportunities. Guardiola’s team controlled the game, maintaining possession and conserving their lead. West Ham had one notable chance when Soucek scored from a corner, but the goal was disallowed for a clear handball after a VAR review.
The end of the match was calm for Manchester City, who managed the final minutes well while West Ham failed to threaten Ortega’s goal again. Ultimately, City finished the match with a comfortable victory, securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Key Moments
- 2’ – Goal for Manchester City: Foden scores with a curled shot from the edge of the box after a pass from Silva.
- 18’ – Goal for Manchester City: Foden scores again, this time from close range after a pass from Doku.
- 42’ – Goal for West Ham: Kudus reduces the deficit with a spectacular bicycle kick following a corner from Ward-Prowse.
- 59’ – Goal for Manchester City: Rodri scores the hosts’ third goal with a long-range shot, assisted by Silva.
- 88’ – Disallowed Goal for West Ham: Soucek scores, but the goal is disallowed for handball after a VAR review.
Tactical Analysis
Guardiola’s Offensive Strategy Against Back Three Line
Manchester City typically prefers high-quality chances close to the goal, advancing through passes into the box. Thus, Guardiola chose to keep Phil Foden in a central position, with Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva wide to provide width.
On the left flank, Gvardiol occupied the left half-space, while Kevin De Bruyne took the right one. In this setup, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland had ample space in the center of the picth to finish chances created from the flanks.
This strategy was clearly demonstrated in the play leading to the second goal, where Gvardiol combined on the left flank with Jeremy Doku, who delivered a perfect cross to Foden in the center of the box.
City Adapts with Long-Range Shots
Looking at the three goals scored by City in this match, we see that only one, the previously mentioned goal, aligns with the philosophy of getting close to the goal. It’s natural that, against a five-man defensive line with three central defenders, it becomes challenging to penetrate the center of the box, especially to find a favorable angle for a shot.
On the above pass map, we see a difficulty in penetrating through the center of the field. The average position of the forwards is at the edge of the box, with few to no central deep passes.
Of course, one solution to this problem is long-range shots, which have become a less popular option in modern football due to their lower success rates.
However, the other two goals scored by Manchester City came from spectacular long-range shots by Rodri and Foden. This demonstrates that City still considers this strategy an important option in the football world.
On the shot map, we can see that City repeatedly attempted long-range shots, even though they did not have a high xG.
What Went Wrong for West Ham
The main mistake by the visitors in this match was their failure to disrupt the rhythm of the hosts’ offense. Looking at two examples where Manchester City failed to get the win in the Premier League, we can see that the opposing teams committed many fouls to break up the flow of the game. In the defeat to Wolverhampton, Manchester City was fouled 18 times, and in the draw with Arsenal, they were fouled 19 times.
Additionally, as both Real Madrid and Chelsea have shown us, Manchester City can be vulnerable in transition when they adopt an advanced position to press the opponent. In this match, West Ham failed to capitalize when they gained possession and had poor quality in their long passes.
If we compare the success rate of long passes by West Ham players in this match to that of Real Madrid players in the 3-3 draw against City in the Champions League, we notice the high quality of long passes that launched counterattacks and helped Real Madrid reach the Champions League final.
Conclusions
Manchester City won the match 3-1 against West Ham, securing their fourth consecutive Premier League title. Although West Ham showed moments of resistance, the class difference and Guardiola’s team’s control of the game were evident. City dominated possession and created more scoring opportunities, confirming their status as the strongest team in the league. West Ham finishes the season in ninth place, with no major changes in the standings.
