Jonathan Wilson's Champions League final tactics board: Where the game could be won and lost  

Manchester City’s high defensive line, Chelsea’s wing-back issues and other factors to look out for in Porto
Jonathan Wilson's Champions League final tactics board: Where the game could be won and lost  

Chelsea players warm up during a training session at the Dragao Stadium in Porto. Picture: Manu Fernandez/AP

City’s high line 

The problem historically for Pep Guardiola sides in Europe has been the high line that he operates, which means that if the press goes awry, his teams can be vulnerable to balls in behind them – as happened for Bayern against Real Madrid in 2014 and against Barcelona in 2015, and for City against Monaco in 2017, Liverpool in 2018 and Lyon last year. It was a problem for City domestically last season – notably against Norwich, Wolves, Manchester United and in the defeat at Chelsea that handed Liverpool the title – and even early in this campaign, in the 5-2 home defeat to Leicester and the reverse at Tottenham.

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