Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that his team struggled to break down Manchester United’s defensive formation in their 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
City had several chances, mostly courtesy of Omar Marmoush, but were unable to find a way past United goalkeeper André Onana.
Guardiola described United’s tactical set-up as “difficult” to contend with, noting that they defended narrowly and only allowed City to operate on the flanks.
The 5-4-1 formation is nothing new for Guardiola, who has faced it many times before, but he acknowledged that sometimes an extra element is missing, whether it’s sharpness or composure.
United didn’t play brilliantly, but City weren’t in a position to punish them either, according to Guardiola.
He said: “We know that playing against a 5-4-1 is always difficult. They defended very narrowly and allowed us only to operate on the flanks, outside the congestion.
“For many years, I’ve come up against teams using the 5-4-1, defending deep. So it’s nothing new. Normally, we manage to find a way through because of the quality and talent of our players.
“But sometimes there’s an extra element missing — perhaps sharpness or composure — and that’s something we cannot always predict.
“They didn’t play brilliantly, but we weren’t in a position to punish them either.
“They tried, we tried — but we weren’t good enough in key moments to really hurt them or take advantage of the spaces that opened up.”
Both teams tried to create opportunities, but City weren’t good enough in key moments to take advantage of the spaces that opened up.