Manchester City versus the Backline of 5

Who Is This Course For?

  • Professional Coaches
  • Youth Academy Coaches
  • Academy Managers
  • Heads of Methodology

Why Choose this Course?

Since his arrival in the summer of 2016, Pep Guardiola has not only transformed Manchester City but has elevated the club to the very top of world football. In recent years, the team has put together an unprecedented era of success and genuine tactical innovation.

They have lifted six Premier League titles in eight seasons under his leadership and became the first English team ever to win the Premier League four seasons in a row (2020–21 to 2023–24).

Many opponents have tried to stop them by setting up with five-man backlines, to which City has responded brilliantly, showing the blueprint for breaking down these structures through positional play, rational occupation of space, and creativity. In this course, discover how Manchester City has dismantled such setups and learn how to apply these solutions with your own teams.

Course Curriculum

  • Chapter 1: Manchester City - Wolves(40:28)
  • Chapter 2: Leicester - Manchester City(39:11)
  • Chapter 3: Porto, Olympique Marseille and Sheffield United(19:53)
  • Chapter 4: Porto - Manchester City(38:33)
  • Chapter 5: Fulham, Newcastle and Everton(10:06)
  • Chapter 6: Wolves - Manchester City (35:11)
  • Chapter 7: Season 2021/2022(44:00)

What you’ll Learn:

  • How Manchester City identifies the challenges posed by five-man defensive lines and the strategies to counter them.
  • The principles of positional play used by City to stretch and destabilize compact defenses.
  • How to achieve rational occupation of space to create gaps between defenders, just like City does in high-level matches.
  • The use of overloads and numerical superiority in key zones to break down defensive blocks.
  • Practical attacking patterns from Manchester City to unlock a five-man backline and generate clear scoring chances.
  • How City leverages width, depth, and third-man runs to pull apart a defensive line.
  • Creative solutions to overcome low blocks, combining structured movement with freedom for players to improvise.
  • Real match examples showing step-by-step how City dissects five-man backlines, with tactics you can implement in your own team.

TESTIMONIALS

“APFC offers elite content for coaches on Positional Play and game understanding. Highly recommended courses and content for all levels.”

Lluis Cortés

Former FC Barcelona Women’s Coach and Saudi Arabia women’s National Team

“APFC has a huge capacity and a big experience with the formation and development of football players.”

Carles Planchart

Manchester City First Team Performance Analysis Coach

“The content in the APFC Next course is valuable for any coach looking to elevate their understanding on how to build a game model and how positional play is effectively used.”

Fabrice Gautrat

Head Coach of Houston Dash NWSL

“Each APFC course offers insightful content for coaches for all levels looking to grow their knowledge of positional playing style and improve their team’s overall performance.”

Emma Thomson

Assistant Coach NC Courage NWSL

“APFC delivers individual player concepts and team development principles in a simplified, logical, and highly effective way. Their courses are easy to follow yet rich in knowledge, insight, and clarity.”

Kenneth Thompson

KTECH Head Coach & Bermuda National Team

“I learned a lot about Positional Play from the fundamentals to the different concepts. I take courses from APFC and they are pioneers in how they teach the topic. Highly recommended.”

Yosi Raz

Head Coach of UC Irvine Men’s Soccer Program

“When I first connected with APFC, I expected to learn new training exercises and session ideas. What I didn’t expect was for them to completely change the way I see and teach the game.”

Giorgi Manzula

OJB FC Sporting Director & Yavapai College Men’s Soccer Head Coach

“The coaches asked to bring APFC for the second time to present the hosted coaching course. It was a helpful and well received course.”

Ryan Rich

National Capital Soccer League Executive Director

“APFC offers elite content for coaches on Positional Play and game understanding. Highly recommended courses and content for all levels.”

Lluis Cortés

Former FC Barcelona Women’s Coach and Saudi Arabia women’s National Team

“APFC has a huge capacity and a big experience with the formation and development of football players.”

Carles Planchart

Manchester City First Team Performance Analysis Coach

“The content in the APFC Next course is valuable for any coach looking to elevate their understanding on how to build a game model and how positional play is effectively used.”

Fabrice Gautrat

Head Coach of Houston Dash NWSL

“Each APFC course offers insightful content for coaches for all levels looking to grow their knowledge of positional playing style and improve their team’s overall performance.”

Emma Thomson

Assistant Coach NC Courage NWSL

“APFC delivers individual player concepts and team development principles in a simplified, logical, and highly effective way. Their courses are easy to follow yet rich in knowledge, insight, and clarity.”

Kenneth Thompson

KTECH Head Coach & Bermuda National Team

“I learned a lot about Positional Play from the fundamentals to the different concepts. I take courses from APFC and they are pioneers in how they teach the topic. Highly recommended.”

Yosi Raz

Head Coach of UC Irvine Men’s Soccer Program

“When I first connected with APFC, I expected to learn new training exercises and session ideas. What I didn’t expect was for them to completely change the way I see and teach the game.”

Giorgi Manzula

OJB FC Sporting Director & Yavapai College Men’s Soccer Head Coach

“The coaches asked to bring APFC for the second time to present the hosted coaching course. It was a helpful and well received course.”

Ryan Rich

National Capital Soccer League Executive Director