Two tactical changes Manchester City can make against Real Madrid in the second leg of UEFA Champions League semifinal
Manchester City drew 1-1 with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal last Tuesday. Vinicius Junior gave Los Blancos the lead in the 36th minute before Kevin De Bruyne scored the all-important equalizer in the 67th minute.
Pep Guardiola’s side still have the unenviable task of facing the most successful club in Champions League history in the second leg on Wednesday, May 17, at the Etihad. City are also close to winning their fifth Premier League title in six seasons; they lead Arsenal by four points with a match in hand.
With Inter Milan already through to the Champions League final, whichever team from this clash progresses will be the favorite to lift the trophy. On that note, here's a look at two changes Manchester City can make to get the better of Real Madrid on Wednesday:
#1. Manchester City could benefit from adding speed on the flanks:
Manchester City played Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva on the flanks against Real Madrid in the first leg. While both Grealish and Bernardo are good dribblers, they can be found wanting in terms of explosive pace.
Players like Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez are faster and could have made good substitutes against Real Madrid, but Guardiola chose not to use them. Foden recently came back from an injury and can be quite dangerous with his darting runs. The same goes for Mahrez, who has scored 15 goals this season already. Both players started against Everton at the weekend.
Real Madrid will be looking to play a low block and not allow enough space for Erling Haaland to attack. Hence, Guardiola can add a penetrative threat by using Foden and Mahrez.
#2. Using an extra man in attack:
At times during the first leg, Haaland seemed isolated in the final third and lacked support. De Bruyne tried to combine with the Norwegian striker, but there was hardly any space for the Belgian midfielder to play through passes into. Haaland scored his 52nd goal of the season against Everton, which will boost his confidence heading into the second leg.
Having Julian Alvarez in the side can make Manchester City’s attack more lethal, as has been proven often this season. However, playing the Argentine forward will mean that either Ilkay Gundogan will be benched or De Bruyne will have to play on the right flank. It would be foolish to bench Gundogan after his match-winning brace against the Toffees, and could also hamper City's ball-retention in midfield.
However, it will enable their attack to have more fluency against a stubborn Real Madrid defense. It will be interesting to see how Guardiola approaches the second leg.