When Lisandro Martinez inverted from the left for Manchester United, it halted Manchester City’s press because Oscar Bobb was forced to mark him. Then all United had to do was drop a forward or midfielder back to progress forward.

It is common for Manchester City’s right-winger to lead the counter-press. Bernardo Silva is the master of this role; here is an example. Oscar Bobb would usually be the one to want to put pressure on the center-backs from right to left.

It was smart of Manchester United to invert Martinez from the left because Oscar Bobb is not as experienced as Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva would have likely told one of the midfielders to mark Martinez to his left so he could dis-mark from Martinez to put pressure on the center-backs.

They never adjusted; therefore, it locked Manchester City into waiting for the next pass forward, forcing the left side to lead the press instead.

This is one of the reasons Manchester City might have been more vulnerable to transitions from settled play because when the left side leads the press, that leaves space behind for United’s right-wing, and with Bobb inside, there’s space wide on the left-wing. Play passes centrally, forcing City to collapse on the ball, and then this space gets larger. Then the opponent can take advantage of the space between the lines when City spreads out after contracting.

Match: Manchester City 1-1 (7-6) Manchester United, 10 August 2024