Following their victory over Everton tonight, City moved 10 points clear after 17 straight wins in all competitions, with bookies ready to pay out on a league win such is their dominance. This is quite the incredible turnaround from a team struggling to score while detached from the leaders at the end of November.

What followed that barren run has been a spectacular upturn with just 3 goals conceded in their last 15 Games previous, compounded by a return to their free scoring best. Ruben Dias, a £61m summer signing from Benfica has been imperious forging a partnership at centre back with the reinvigorated John Stones. An embarrassment of riches in this position leaving the returning Aymeric Laporte on the bench or at full back.

But while the defence has been outstanding, it is the tactical change, focussed on full back Joao Cancelo, that is most fascinating. Early in the season City set up with two holding midfielders often including Rhodri and Fernandinho, which in relative terms led to a slower tempo and the attack looking more predictable than ever before. Cancelo has been used as a full back on both sides and regardless of the side he plays, he has lately been tasked with a dual position. While out of possession, he plays at full back creating a bank of four with Rhodri protecting in front. What is remarkable is that when City gain possession, he drifts straight into a central midfield position alongside Rhodri, with the closest centre back spreading wider to create a back 3 and the other central midfielder pushing forwards.

In the Above Image you can see the transition in Manchester City’s shape from out of possession to in possession. In the above image Cancelo is the number 2, his moving into a central area allows Gundogan (Number 7) to join the attack providing 5 attacking players in the attacking third with the two pivot midfielders an option to bounce the ball off.

This causes the opposition all types of issues. The man asked to mark Cancelo would be the wide midfielder. He must either follow Cancelo centrally, exposing his flank and in turn encouraging an overload on the defending full back, or must leave him to drift centrally unattended. By leaving him, City then have an instant free pass to Cancelo into the centre of the pitch where they can outnumber the opposition and always have an extra man as an option. The central midfielder that starts alongside Rodri is usually Ikay Gundogan. The movement of Cancelo into the central position, while in possession, unleashes him to push forward and make late runs into the box unmarked supporting the 4 other attacking players. Ikay Gundogan has scored 8 goals in his past 7 games, having scored less than 20 in his previous 100 City appearances. This stat illustrates the freedom this tactical adjustment has allowed him, and how much more effective he has become as a result. The front 5 players in the City team can then maraud forwards knowing there are 2 centre midfielders to sit and bounce the ball off using this extra man. This enables a City team who almost always enjoy a huge advantage in possession, even more control of the game making it difficult for the opposition to regain possession and relieve pressure.

The increase in quality at centre back coupled with Cancelo adding numbers centrally has created more trust in the structure, so that the in form attacking midfielders including Gundogen and Phil Foden have more licence to attack. With their two best attacking players Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero returning imminently to fitness, the flexibility and defensive resilience of this City team suggests that in this form they should win the league at a canter.

.