"For both Spurs' opening goal and Brighton's second, the ball is moved to a defender out wide, with City's attacker unable to press tightly. The wide player is able to turn and face forward before playing a long, direct pass down the channel. One of their team-mates drops deeper, dragging City's full-back with them - Nathan Ake against Spurs and Rico Lewis against Brighton. That means City end up with three players in their backline,"
"One of City's centre-backs has to defend on the flank in an area they're less comfortable in, making them more likely to lose their duel. Opposition players are then able to run in the space between the three defenders. Brighton, for example, had four players in attack against City's back three. Brighton also vacated the central areas knowing that, by building down the sides, their players would be more dangerous out wide or running in behind."
Manchester City's out-of-possession structure is vulnerable when opponents target wide defenders, allowing those players to turn and play long passes down the channels. A team-mate drops deeper to drag the full-back out, leaving City with three in the backline and a centre-back defending on the flank in unfamiliar territory. Opponents run into the space between the three defenders and can overload with multiple attackers on the back three. Brighton exemplified this by vacating central areas and building down the sides to create dangerous wide or in-behind opportunities. Bournemouth also used an asymmetrical press to nullify Spurs by funnelling play down one flank.
Read at www.bbc.com
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