RB Leipzig coach, Julian Nagelsmann has absolved Pep Guardiola of blame in Manchester City’s surprise quarter-final defeat to Lyon, insisting that the Spaniard made no mistakes by employing tactical tweaks to his side. Lyon won 3-1 and will now meet German giants, Bayern Munich in the last four of the competition.
Guardiola had employed a 3-4-3 formation against Lyon, jettisoning his usual tactical setup ostensibly in an attempt to match Lyon’s system but it backfired as the French romped to a convincing win.
Guardiola came in for some criticism for altering the system, while Lyon coach Rudi Garcia claimed his side “won the tactical battle.”
Nagelsmann, however, insists it was individual moments, rather than the tactics, which ultimately cost City.
“The idea he basically had was not too complicated,” Nagelsmann, who often alternates between using a back three and back four, told a news conference ahead of Leipzig’s semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
“Whether 3-4-3 or 4-3-3, I don’t think that is that crucial for a Kevin De Bruyne.
“In the end, it’s individual situations. In my opinion, it is a bit too easy to always blame the formation for something like that.
“If City had won, everyone would have said ‘world-class tactics!’ Now he has surprised everyone.’ It’s a tightrope.
“In a knockout game you often have to make tactical adjustments that you might not make in the league. If necessary, you can take a point with you. That doesn’t work in the Champions League. Every coach has to be there to find your own way.”
Leipzig booked their place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, while PSG overcame Atalanta in dramatic fashion.
Nagelsmann is expecting a stern challenge, especially with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both likely to start for PSG, yet believes his side are playing with more verve and resilience than they showed in the closing stages of the Bundesliga season.
“I think that in the Bundesliga the players were tired and struggling to catch up,” he said. “They were strange times.
“They are hungry for victory and against Atletico Madrid, it was possible to see that. We are happy, but we still want to take more steps and the players are prepared.
“[PSG’s] quality is very high, so it will be a collective effort. We will try to impose our game and be brave. We want to try to put them under pressure, we have this potential, with many young players, and we are going to show it.”
