Good insight of the game brother.
Pep Guardiola, game-plan tangu mwanzo (dakika ya 1), ilikuwa ni ku-target (overload) upande wa Trent, well, the whole football world, inajua kuwa Trent is not good or equipped enough kwenye upande wa ku-defend, ndiyo zilkuwa same thoughts za Pep, overload his side, and make him vulnarable, ukichukulia Konate or Gomez hawakuwepo at RCB for recovery pace.
Pep put Doku & Bernardo on the right side, it was 2 vs 1, (Doku + Bernardo Vs Trent), that was Pep's plan, Klopp countered this by putting Szobo & Salah close to Trent defending pockets, kama extra defenders, the role was to help Trent, and minimize Doku & Bernardo threats, and tukisema "threats" ni kuzuia kwa ukubwa 1v1 situations za Doku dhidi ya Trent.
Pep's plan here was to end the game ndani ya dk 45, overload the right flank, kill Salah attacking threat (Doku & Silva upande wa kulia means Salah angecheza chini zaidi kwaajili ya kumsaidia Trent), kill Szobo ball progression/creation threats, (same kama kwa Salah, Szobo needed to stay close to Trent/Pockets/Zones kuzuia Sliva attacking actions/movements and limit Doku runs/1v1s na Trent).
NOW, i'd say Pep plan ilifanikiwa kwa kiasi chake, because having Szobo kwa Trent's pockets, kulifanya Macca abaki na eneo kubwa sana la ku-cover, as Jones was tasked na suala la ku-carry na ku-bait/evade City's press kwa ku-progress mipira from the back, BUT, kuwa na gaps kwenye MF yetu, kuliwaruhusu City, kutengeneza a well rounded shape ya ball progression in the centre, Akanji inverting and using Alvarez kama spare MF ili kutengeneza pressing traps za kututoa kwenye reli (our defending shape), nasema Pep alifanikiwa, kwasababu City walitengeneza a lot of attacking actions, BUT our box defending was good, goal la City ukiachana na blunder ya Allison, lilitokea kwasababu Szobo ali-switch off, hakutegemea kama ule mpira ungeishia kwa kwa Ake, hence alivyojaribu kurudi kwenye pocket ya Trent, tayari Ake alikuwa anam-face Trent, which was easy for Ake to evade him and play that ball to Haaland.
NOW, swali litakuwa kama Pep alifanikiwa, why haku-run away with the game? (goals), well, Ok, alijaribu kum-out number Trent, out-numbering Trent, it means unaua our right side attacking threat, because ni lazima Klopp ange-react kwa kuzuia/minimize zile overloads, hence Killing Salah & Szobo attacking actions, then by doing so, una-limit game-points za Szobo in the middle, so Pep had to use his dark plans, overload Trent, and use quick central progressions kipindi ambacho Szobo ata-move kwenda kwenye pockets ya Trent kusaidia ku-defend (this is when City wakiwa wanashambulia/wakiwa na mpira), BUT city LACKED goals kwasababu, walikuwa wana-miss presence ya ball carrier/quick passer in the middle, ambaye ni BERNARDO, (funny??), so this gave Macca, Jones, Virgil, Tsimikas, Matip, kazi nyepesi ya kuzuia penetrations za City katikati, Akanji tried to overload our MF shape, but Macca had no problem dealing with his passing/movements, tofauti kama ingekwa ni Bernardo, Nunes, Kovacic au KDB mwenyewe, so nasema Pep alifanikiwa because alipata goal kwa mbinu hizi, but he came up short kwasababu hakuwa na extra progressor in the middle.
Kwa Klopp ilikuwa ni easy, Help Trent, and try hard kuzuia City progression katikati ya uwanja, and use Jones kama press baiter, and it was easy because Klopp wanted a draw.
Second half, Pep decided to put Bernardo in the middle, left Doku and Trent tu, Klopp reacted by doing the same, but siyo kwa big extent, he subbed off Jones, and put on Grav, simply kwasababu ya ball progression, Grav job was to get the ball and progress it through the middle and wide, stretching City defensive shape, streching City compact progression shape eneo la MF, and ku-distrupt City-tradition possessional game, this helped us to open up City game-plan, forced Rodri into quick defensive actions.
Goal, tulilopata ilikuwa ni kazi ya Grav, progress the ball, evading/baiting Rodri along the way, na Trent alifunga goal kwasababu wakati Grav anaanza ile move, alikuwa wide, so it was so easy for him to track Grav and Diaz movements, na kuwepo kwenye lile eneo at the right time, kama angekuwa ame-invert (kama watu wanavyotaka), asingekuwepo kwa lile eneo.
NOW, people wanaweza sema namsema Trent, but NO, Pep targeted him kwa mawili, la kwanza ni kwasababu ya his weaknesses kwenye kuzuia, na pili ni kwasababu ya ku-minmize his attacking powers, Trent siyo good defender but ni good creator, good passer, good crosser, good ball-switcher, so kwenye game kama ile, you need to stop hizo threats, na uki-overload kwa Trent, it means unaua pia our attacking actions, kwasababu Salah atakuwa anasaidia na kutafutia mipira chini, Szobo atakuwa yupo limited sana kupata mipira, kazi kubwa inakuwa ni off-ball balance, so attacking threat inakufa, na ukiua attacking threat ya kulia, na ya kushoto inakufa.
kuna siku nilisema hakuna Coach ambaye anauwezo mkubwa wa kufundisha Box defending kama Klopp, na pia hakuna kocha anaweza kufundisha deep-block kama Klopp, kama AKIAMUA, against City, it was a box defending masterclass, na ukiona tu kamuanzisha Matip kwenye big away game, ujue anatafuta draw, na itapigwa box au deep-block defending ya hali ya juu, hence Pep lacked answers kipindi cha pili, ukitaka kupata kwa uzuri box defending/Deep-block ya Klopp, kwa msimu angalia game ya Spurs, na kwa msimu uliopita angalia game yetu na City at Anfield.
