News just in: Pep Guardiola still has a few tactical tricks up his sleeve. The scary thought for the rest of the Premier League must be that Guardiola, who looked and sounded like a man ready to pack it in and head for the golf course earlier this season, is finding fresh motivation in putting Manchester City back together. Enjoy it while it lasts, you can imagine him saying to his rivals, but just be aware that I have revenge planned for anyone who dared to wonder if I was finished when we were losing 4-0 at home against Tottenham.
It is, of course, worth pointing out that it is too soon to assume that a new imperial era is taking shape. City are deservedly through to their third consecutive FA Cup final, a date with Crystal Palace secured thanks to a well-crafted 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest, but Guardiola still has damage to repair. Ever the perfectionist, he will look back at his team’s performance against Forest and conclude that there were moments when this semi-final could have slipped from their grasp. Anthony Elanga had a glorious chance to make it 1-1 early in the second half, only to miss from close range, while City will know that they were fortunate not to concede after going 2-0 up.
Yet defeat was deflating rather than heartbreaking for Forest, who cannot let it affect their push for Champions League qualification. There was more knowhow to City, accompanied by a sense of a team embracing the process of renewal. It was striking that Kevin De Bruyne, who will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, was an unused substitute.
Although City’s starting lineup was not short of leadership and experience – Rúben Dias, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva have seen and done it all – it was one capable of coping with Forest’s energy.
There has been an injection of youth, replenishing enthusiasm levels. Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis, 20-year-old homegrown talents, showed again that they are versatile, technical and comfortable at this level. Savinho, raw but dangerous on the right wing, is 21 and learning as he goes. Josko Gvardiol, whose big dark beard makes him look older than 23, is thriving after shifting into central defence; he delighted in powering in the second goal from an Omar Marmoush corner in the 51st minute.
Guardiola has spoken about his possession football becoming outdated this season. He is reacting, adapting and reshaping his squad. City spent heavily on youth in January. If the 26‑year‑old Marmoush is a signing for the here and now, then Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico González look like bets on potential. Space will be made by old timers leaving. De Bruyne is on his way and Ilkay Gündogan could go too. There is talk of additions in attacking midfield. Phil Foden, who did not come on until the 81st minute here, has struggled this season but is only 24.
There are hints of a resurgence. Sir Alex Ferguson went through dips at Manchester United but always responded. Guardiola has seemed weary since leading City to the treble and four consecutive league titles. Losing Rodri to injury was a devastating blow. City have been slow and fragile. The talk has been of Guardiola’s approach being replaced by a more vertical, dynamic style of play.
Having seen off Andoni Iraola’s front-foot Bournemouth in the quarter-finals, Guardiola approached the challenge of breaking down Forest’s resolute defence with typical imagination and counterintuitiveness. How to cope without Erling Haaland leading the line? Simple: confound the Forest centre-backs by sending out a team with no fixed point in attack and a host of diminutive technicians spreading confusion with decoy runs and dizzying movement.
It was a classic Guardiola ploy. The conventional approach would have been a 4-2-3-1 system with Jack Grealish sticking to the left, Bernardo Silva as a No 10 and Marmoush playing up front. Not here, though. City used a box midfield. Silva and Kovacic were deep, Lewis and Grealish operated in advanced central positions, Marmoush and Savinho drifted wide and Forest were confused.
The opening goal showcased Guardiola’s genius. There was more to it than Kovacic surging from deep in the second minute and nutmegging Danilo with a pass to Lewis, who had time to drill a low shot past Matz Sels from 20 yards. There was also the way that first Marmoush and then Savinho distracted Murillo with darts into the defender’s zone, ensuring that Lewis was in space when he received the ball in between the lines.
Forest, who did not have a shot before half-time, never got to grips with City’s system. City pressed aggressively during the first half, repeatedly forcing turnovers. Silva and Kovacic were excellent. Lewis, a right-left, left‑back, No 6 and No 8 rolled into one, was exceptional. There was a moment when O’Reilly won the ball, pirouetted and shot wide from 25 yards.
City’s belief has returned. Guardiola, though, is far from satisfied. Would winning this competition make this season a success? There was something ominous about the way he heard the question, laughed and made it very clear that he expects far more than glory in the Cup.
