How City Are Changing: The Example of the Newcastle Match

Hello everyone,

While we’re waiting for tomorrow’s City match, I wanted to write about the tactics in the game against Newcastle and the important role Nico O’Reilly plays in the team.

I was at the stadium for this match, and I had the feeling that something about this City isn’t quite the same. That feeling has been there since the start of the season: City are playing more vertically, the team has become more counterattacking — but this was a particularly striking case.

A couple of years ago it would have been hard to imagine, but first, City played a physical game against Newcastle, and second, they used a lot of long passes.

The team was able to compete physically on equal terms and, moreover, deliberately chose to do so. City had plenty of tall and powerful players on the pitch — O’Reilly, Haaland, Semenyo, Rodri. And then there was the undersized Bernardo, who still managed to win duels against Burn.

City weren’t afraid to engage in duels and won them (Nunes — 4/4, Rodri — 6/7, Semenyo — 8/8, Silva — 5/6).

I also want to single out Haaland. Usually he’s the least involved City player in terms of touches: minimum contact, maximum goals. Against Newcastle, the Norwegian won 7 of 11 ground duels and 5 of 8 aerial duels, and he made three clearances. He dropped into his own box to help defend set pieces, battled with Dan Burn, got him booked, and, in between defensive duties, delivered an assist with his weaker right foot.

For comparison, look at Haaland’s heat maps in matches against Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle — you can see how much time he spent outside the opponent’s penalty area in the latest game.

Another interesting detail: City average 35 long passes per game this season. Against Newcastle, they played 53.

Knowing that Newcastle like to press, and having players capable of winning aerial duels and competing for second balls, Pep opted for this approach.

A typical pattern in the match was Donnarumma and the defenders drawing the opposition forward, followed by a long ball toward Haaland. This is football that we wouldn’t normally associate with Guardiola.

Now about O’Reilly.

He started the season at left-back — confidently and solidly. Nico has pace, uses his body well, and what stands out most is his work on the ball: he rarely loses it and can escape tight situations (in Pep’s teams, that’s often more important than tackling ability).

Midway through the season, after injury and the Africa Cup of Nations, Aït-Nouri returned at left-back, and Nico moved into a role somewhere between an eight and a ten. He can drop deeper to help Rodri with ball recovery and control, position himself between the opponent’s midfield and defensive lines, find space on the left side, and make late runs into the box.

An interesting tactical detail: when Pope took goal kicks, O’Reilly swapped positions with Marmoush. The first aerial duel was contested by the centre-backs and Rodri, while Haaland and O’Reilly attacked the second ball. That’s how City scored the first goal: Rodri won the ball after Newcastle’s clearance, Haaland flicked it on to O’Reilly, who passed to Marmoush, and he drove forward. In the still frames I marked O’Reilly’s position at the moment of the clearance and in the ensuing attack.

The second goal came from Semenyo and the new two-striker setup. The defenders didn’t expect to see Haaland drifting into the half-space and both lost track of him, while O’Reilly made a run into the box — something Gündoğan used to provide for the team.

In short, the changes in City this season look like this: more counterattacks, less control, a more crowded central midfield, O’Reilly in a hybrid eight/ten role, and situational use of two forwards. The team hasn’t forgotten how to keep the ball when necessary, but it’s no longer a mandatory condition — just one of the available options. The structure is looser; players are allowed to attack in transition.

In March and April, City will face Arsenal twice, Real Madrid twice, and Chelsea away. Guardiola often says that players and teams improve by facing the best. This period will be exactly that kind of test.

This new City is young, still raw, recovering from a disappointing season, with an uncertain future (a possible Guardiola departure and the ongoing financial charges), and in the middle of a rebuild. It will be fascinating to see how they handle the most important stretch of the season.