Norwich showed the blueprint for beating Manchester City

Norwich provided the Premier League with a blueprint for beating Manchester City.

Manchester are vulnerable and it’s not as hard to prove as many teams in the Premier League might think. It didn’t need mighty Liverpool to prove it, nor an in-form Tottenham Hotspur or a Manchester United side motivated by getting one over on the local rival.

Instead, it was lowly Norwich, promoted to the top flight last summer, who showed the blueprint for beating the champions.

The Canaries overcame a lengthy injury list and obvious disparity in talent to stun City 3-2 at Carrow Road on Saturday. They did it with a simple yet effective two-pronged approach based on pressing City defenders in possession and doubling up on prolific winger Raheem Sterling.

Putting pressure on defenders trying to play out from the back was the foundation of the Norwich plan. City love to build from defense and new league rules for goal kicks have only encouraged this habit.

The extra attempts teams will make to exchange passes in their own box is providing attacking players willing to press with more opportunities to knick the ball.

Norwich chased these opportunities by setting traps for City. A three-man attacking midfield comprised of Todd Cantwell, Emiliano Buendia and Marco Stiepermann routinely idled in spaces between the forward and defensive lines, lulling City defenders into thinking they had more time to pick passes.

Buendia and Co. took turns pinching possession and springing onto overwhelmed City goalkeeper Ederson. Argentinian playmaker Buendia frequently led the charge:

https://twitter.com/StatmanDave/status/1173155426533175296

His second assist came from the most effective expression of Norwich’s high press. It occurred five minutes into the second half when City centre-back Nicolas Otamendi was rushed into an errant pass Buendia made his own before teeing up striker Teemu Pukki to net the home side’s third goal.

Otamendi’s presence alongside John Stones in the starting XI consistently rewarded the Norwich press. They started together because Aymeric Laporte is out until 2020 with an ankle injury.

City’s desire to pass steadily through every phase of the team was inherently flawed without the best ball-playing defender in Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Even when the Citizens had cut the gap to 3-2, Norwich didn’t relent in applying pressure high up the pitch. City did the hosts a favor by routinely falling into the same trap.

Aside from harassing defenders trying to play out, Norwich’s roving trio behind Pukki also confused Otameni and the rest of City’s back four with their movement.

There was a precision and symmetry to the positioning and timing of Cantwell, Stiepermann and Buendia. They broke, rotated and shifted from side to side as one unit.

City tried to hold a high line but were left exposed by Pukki’s runs in behind. The confusion was most obvious when the latter broke and set up Cantwell to finish off a rapid and sweeping counter.

Buendia won the ball deep and played it into Stiepermann who was in the No. 10 role. He in turn released Pukki who raced clear and found Cantwell, with the latter staying left but pushing up to support his striker when the Finn broke away.

City’s defence was in chaos, yet the division’s premier attacking force was also being stifled. It didn’t help main danger Sterling was given so little room.

He drew a crowd every time City worked the ball out to the left. Full-back Sam Byram stayed tight to the England international, knowing he had the support of Buendia, Stiepermann or midfield enforcer Alex Tettey.

With two players in front of him, Sterling was challenged to dribble through a crowd. It’s not his strong suit, but the 24-year-old didn’t have the space to attack with his usual subtle, off-the-ball runs.

Sterling was instead forced to try and tease crosses into the box, something else he’s not known for. Norwich wanted Sterling crossing instead of using his pace to get in behind and meet deft passes played across the deck.

He craved room so much, Sterling swapped wings with Bernardo Silva more than once. Each time Norwich continued to surround the former Liverpool ace.

Denying Sterling his full range of movement also meant City’s pass-masters in the middle were denied their favorite target. With only Sergio Aguero to aim for in the middle, City’s passing became predictable, over-elaborate and ultimately easier to defend.

It was only when Guardiola brought another center-forward, Gabriel Jesus, off the bench City posed a greater threat. Aguero got his goal, but the negative impact of a rare subdued performance from Sterling proved he is the true catalyst for the Citizens’ success.

Guardiola must find a way to solidify a defense sorely lacking Laporte’s assurance. It won’t be easy with no reinforcements available until January. Yet the bigger challenge may be adapting when Sterling is marked out of a game.

Without remedies for these obvious weaknesses, the rest of the league will surely follow the Norwich blueprint against the champions.