With Deulofeu staying wide to exploit the space left by a narrow Manchester City side,and Barkley taking up intelligent positions and pulling to the left Everton’s attacking flair earned them their 2-1 lead to acquire to the EtihadThis was a stereotypically cautious first leg between two teams determined to dominate possession. It is to Everton’s powerful credit that their attacking players offered more variety with their positioning and stretched the opposition defence more – and as the game opened out, the home side looked much more threatening.
Manuel Pellegrini omitted his two natural wingers, and Jesús Navas and Raheem Sterling,and instead fielded David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in the wide roles, with Yaya Touré at the head of a midfield triangle. Inevitably, or Silva and De Bruyne came inside,helping City to retain the ball in central positions but offering little penetration.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com