Tactical takeaways from Man City’s FA Cup comeback vs Bournemouth as Nico O’Reilly stars | OneFootball

When Bournemouth and Manchester City were drawn against each other in the FA Cup quarter-finals, it appeared destined to be a captivating clash.

And it definitely didn’t fall flat, a highly-anticipated contes5 full of action between two of the finest managers in England in Pep Guardiola and Andoni Iraola.

Pitting the relentless out-of-possession masters against Man City’s control-oriented approach with the ball, the Citizens ultimately prevailed. The introduction of Nico Nico O’Reilly for Abdukodir Khusanov at half-time proving the game-changer.

Here are three tactical takeaways from this pulsating fixture, in which Man City were just too good as they secured their 20th win over the Cherries from their last 23 games.

Targeting Man City’s right

Jumping out of the blocks with trademark intensity and energy, Bournemouth piled the pressure on Man City, with their pace, verticality and directness causing plenty of problems.

Having identified Man City’s right-back and right-sided centre-back as areas to expose their adversaries, Bournemouth shrewdly targeted Matheus Nunes and Khusanov, which proved a very fruitful attacking avenue.

Bournemouth looked to find Antoine Semenyo whenever possible, knowing their star man had a physical and athletic edge over Nunes. Semenyo regularly wreaked havoc, embarking on many intelligently-timed runs in behind and relishing getting the ball to feet to be isolated against Nunes.

Moreover, the way nominal No.10 Justin Kluivert also marauded in behind to exploit Khusanov (and the sizeable space created by Semenyo tying up Nunes) by using his pace and smartly-directed surges added to their menace.

With Semenyo keeping Nunes busy and Khusanov also wary of the threat of Evanilson, Kluivert dropped deep to get free between the lines to take advantage of the Uzbek’s indecision.

Dovetailing effectively to get at Man City down this side and capitalising on these mismatches, it was fitting, albeit not a direct consequence of the above, that Bournemouth’s opener arose following a Nunes turnover. From here, David Brooks eventually got on the ball and obliged Kluivert’s brilliant blindside run with an enticing delivery. The Dutchman then lunged out, beating Nunes in the process, to duly provide the assist for Evanilson to finish from close range.

Bournemouth also hurt Man City’s right through Kepa Arrizabalaga and Bournemouth’s defenders going long to Semenyo from goal kicks or if they couldn’t beat the press. Using his ascendancy in terms of strength, power and leap height, Semenyo served as a terrific target to help his team bypass the press and win second balls in midfield with headed knock-ons and flick-ons.

While Bournemouth fell short in the end, there was no doubting how effective these plans were. Indeed, a testament to its success came from Guardiola taking off the struggling Khusanov at half-time, which, intriguingly, worked wonders for the visitors.

Super-sub O’Reilly

Coming on for the second half in place of Khusanov, O’Reilly produced an exceptional cameo to be the catalyst for Man City’s stirring comeback. Deployed at left-back, it was a joy to watch him stamp his mark emphatically with his sensational offensive thrust.

“He was unbelievable. Against Plymouth he showed the impact he can have on the game, and the energy he brought today changed the game. That’s what we need,” Bernardo Silva explained.

Adding vital width and depth going forward, the man who joined Man City at the age of eight wasted little time in flexing his muscles by providing a sublime assist for Erling Haaland to level the ledger. Powering ahead with a magnificently executed run to get the jump on Lewis Cook, his elite first touch then saw him ideally placed to feed the Norwegian to score and cap off a superb free-flowing move.

Terrorising Cook with his dynamism, technical skills and speed, the fact Man City’s midfielders would heavily populate central areas notably left O’Reilly with oceans of space to attack.

Fleet of foot and fast of thought, O’Reilly’s impact towards Man City’s winner was immense too. His crafty forward run breathed life into the passage before he neatly teed up Omar Marmoush with an ingenious outside-of-the-boot pass. Although both Semenyo and Kepa didn’t cover themselves in glory in the lead-up, O’Reilly still deserved credit for his crucial role here.

O’Reilly also held his own defensively, by chiming in with some valuable interventions on the ground and in the air. Watching him look so comfortable again was hugely impressive, as he continued his wonderful FA Cup form. Not bad at all for a player who only made his full Man City debut at the beginning of the campaign in the Community Shield.

Man City’s midfield dominance

Man City gradually wore Bournemouth down, with Guardiola instructing his talented midfielders to densely occupy central locations. The Citizens were forever asking questions of Bournemouth’s marking structure, ensuring they could constantly generate numerical and positional superiorities to progress.

With Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic all typically within close proximity, they could combine rapidly to move the ball quickly, create quality passing angles, seamlessly rotate and have many nearby options to inject impetus into their upfield forays.

This also allowed Man City to gain a foothold in proceedings, dictate the tempo and control large portions of the match, in a game where their strategy’s influence grew as the clash wore on and Bournemouth tired.

Excelling between the lines with their presence in this zone, the fact that Haaland was often pinning and drawing one or more defenders enhanced their danger. It also gave his teammates extra room to inherit possession in coveted forward-facing postures or receive, turn and face the retreating, discombobulated Bournemouth defence.

Frequently manipulating the Cherries’ rearguard to manufacture space either side of their last line, Guardiola would’ve been delighted with his team’s ability to find solutions due to their connected shape in damaging infield regions.

It was also important to note how Man City outnumbered their foes in deeper build-up to disrupt Bournemouth’s high press, which also granted them a formidable foundation to advance smoothly.

All eyes on the cup

With the FA Cup representing Man City’s last chance to win any silverware this season, all the signs are positive they can do just that. The Citizens face Nottingham Forest in what will be their seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final, and either Aston Villa or Crystal Palace await in the final if Man City get can there. It’d take a brave man to bet against them ending their crusade on a high.