Manchester City will host Liverpool tomorrow in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final needing to overturn a 3-0 scoreline.
That is a massive deficit for City to try and overcome. In fact, in all of Champions League history there has only been one team to have overturned a first leg deficit of three goals or more without the aid of an away goal: Barcelona. In 2016/17 they lost 4-0 away to PSG in the first leg of their round of 16 clash, before incredibly smashing them 6-1 at home to progress.
Once. In all the European Cup’s history. That’s the level of impossible Manchester City have to replicate (although mercifully for them they only have to pull back 3 goals, not 4).
Just what exactly made that Barcelona comeback so uniquely incredible? What tangible properties did it possess that City can hope to replicate in order to pull off their own titanic turnaround?
1. What Barça did: used a unique siege formation
Fresh from getting curbstomped 4-0 in Paris and just barely beating Leganés 2-1, Barcelona switched up from their usual 4-3-3 system and prepared a 3-3-1-3 system to attack PSG with.
After a couple of games prep, it was ready to roll. The system created a cage around the PSG half, making it very hard for the Parisians to play out whilst making it easier for the Blaugrana to press, and get the ball into dangerous positions. It also freed Leo Messi from any defensive shackles and allowed him to cause havoc.
How City can do it: play 3-3-3-1
The simple solution is City do what Barça did and play a unique system. In City’s case, the system can even be similar.
With the difference being that as there is no Leo Messi, then the striker (Gabriel Jesus) is given horizontal freedom to roam and find the space from where he can best spearhead the City attack.
It will require the perfect game from all City’s players, as they will have to be ever-vigilant of the Liverpool counter-attack. But if they can pull it off, they can perform miracles.
2. What Barça did: weren’t always all-out attack
Despite the colossal nature of their challenge, Barça didn’t approach it with a gung-ho mentality. They sought a fast start (and got one) but they didn’t spend the entire game simply throwing bodies forward. They approached the game in a measured way, always out to score but controlling the amount of times they went into an attacking frenzy.
HEATMAP: Barcelona's back-three spent more time in PSG's half their own:
How City can do it: alter the tempo of their game
It would be awfully easy for Manchester City to throw everyone forward right from the off in a desperate bid to claw back an early goal, but this would only play into Liverpool’s hands. But if they start the game too slowly, Liverpool will get comfortable.
The key will be for City to do what Barça did and keep their tempo malleable. Push it for periods, but then pull back and just keep the ball so as not to exhaust themselves.
3. What Barça did: deployed two key creators in attack
The 6-1 comeback hinged on the presence of two great attackers in Barcelona colours: Leo Messi and Neymar.
PSG were obsessed with stopping Messi, with limiting his influence on the game. They threw multiple bodies his way, ensuring that whenever he had the ball he was surrounded.
Of course, what this ended up doing was leaving Neymar 1v1 a lot of the time. So whilst PSG were able to keep Messi in check, what ended up happening was Neymar destroying them.
How City can do it: make sure Sterling starts opposite Sane
In the first leg of the quarter-final, City played just one of their star wingers (Leroy Sané) as a way to help increase the side’s ability to control the centre.
This backfired in an enormous way and Liverpool zeroed in on Sané, effectively shutting City’s attack down.
In the second leg they have to make sure that both Sané and Raheem Sterling start. This way, Liverpool either gang up on one and unleash another (as PSG did) or they try to defend both and stretch themselves thin enough that others can hurt them.
4. What Barça Did: created a raucous atmosphere
This wasn’t down to the players, but the Barcelona fans created an intense atmosphere within the Camp Nou. The kind that could easily intimidate a visiting team.
Alright, it wasn’t exactly Istanbul in a derby game, but it was loud and constant, getting especially intense after the goals were scored. This put extra pressure on PSG, making it easier for them to crumble under it.
How City can do it: pray
City’s fans are not known for being the most vocal or present, which could be a problem when City need 50,000 of them to be absolutely relentless from start to finish.
They need to try and do to Liverpool what the Reds did to them in the first leg (well, without that Mad Max bus-smashing business). It could certainly happen, but all City can do on this one is pray.
5. What Barça Did: never gave up
This sounds incredibly trite but do you realise the amount of belief it takes to come back from 4-0 down? And what’s even more impressive is Barcelona did it twice.
Their attempt to pull 4-0 back reached as far as 3-0 before Edinson Cavani’s goal seemed to have settled the tie. Barça needed to get three more goals to win it and that seemed beyond them.
But the players continued to believe, continued to push forward, and in the end they scored three times in the last seven minutes to make history.
How City can do it: trust in Pep Guardiola
When Barcelona never gave up, they had two consecutive league titles and a Champions League win under their current coach (as well as loads more under previous bosses) to help them believe in their ability to turn things around. Furthermore they’d already set a Champions League comeback when they were the first side to come back from 2-0 down, beating Milan in 2013.
Without that kind of framework, what can City draw on for their immense belief? Well for one, their great season thus far. It was all good just a week ago, so remember that.
Moreover, just trust Pep Guardiola. The Catalan has orchestrated so many miracles in his short time as a head coach, including creating a Manchester City side that plays the most scintillating football England has seen for over a decade.
rameez_mulla1
253
Kompany after Smalling's goal😂😂😂😂😂
FootballPro19
68
Everyone needs to stop being so negative, I support Liverpool after Real Madrid, I want Liverpool to move on to the semifinals. But that doesn't mean I don't expect City to put on an incredible show, we all remember the 4-3 Liverpool victory at Anfield right? Liverpool were 3 goals ahead of City, yet City stayed disciplined until the last minute. To everyone's surprise, City scored 2 goals and were only 1 goal behind Liverpool. They did that with about 30 minutes left, so imagine what they could do in 90 minutes. That being said it is still going to be ridiculously hard, Liverpool's defense has improved since then, plus, Liverpool are a team well suited to counterattacks, so playing an all-out attack strategy could end up backfiring. But never underestimate your opponents, Klopp still needs to be careful. YNWA!!!
Barcfan11
34
I think city should play a 2-3-4-1 Here's my reasoning, on attack Sane and Sterling play wide, Aguero as striker obviously. D Silva will come high upfield so De Bruyne and Jesus can drop inbetween those pockets of space to create danger. Gundogan will suppourt a little further back same as Fernandinho, on defensive transition It is more like a 3-6-1. The midfield would be really crowded yes but here is why. Sane and Sterling will stay with the fullbacks, and that leaves 4 people in the midfield. They can mark the inside options or if they want send an extra player out to the wing.