The success of Manchester City's newest tactical setup could force Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag into a rethink over Lisandro Martinez.
City booked their ticket to Istanbul for the Champions League final on Wednesday evening, decimating Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to secure a 5-2 win over the reigning European champions.
Although Real were nowhere near their best on the night, City were very much on form. Bernardo Silva scored twice in a dominant first half for Pep Guardiola's side, before second half goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez rubberstamped the victory.
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Real were limited to just three shots on target at the Etihad Stadium, which all came in the second half of the match.
And Kyle Walker kept Los Blancos star Vinicius Junior quiet on the left flank - something very few players have managed in European competition.
But another key performance came from John Stones, who has operated in a defensive midfielder/inverted centre-back role in recent months under Guardiola.
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When City had the ball, Stones moved forward into a midfield role, and dropped back into defence when Real had one of their rare forays forward.
And that role could inspire Ten Hag to perform a U-turn on Martinez.
Man City could force Man Utd U-turn
After signing for United last summer from Ajax, Martinez has almost exclusively played on the left side of a centre-back pairing.
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But the Argentinian is versatile - he can also slot in at left-back or in defensive midfield if required.
But Ten Hag made it clear even before Martinez's arrival that he would not be playing in midfield, which is something the Dutchman has stuck to so far.
Speaking to ESPN back in 2021, when both he and Martinez were at Ajax, Ten Hag explained (quotes via 90min): "Daley Blind does not have the running capacity to play in midfield. And neither does Martinez."
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, however, appeared to see things slightly differently.
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According to The Athletic, the Spaniard wanted to sign Martinez last summer to play as an inverted left-back and as a backup central midfielder - roles that Oleksandr Zinchenko currently plays for the Gunners by drifting into the midfield and playing inside.
United play more of a traditional system when it comes to full-backs, but Ten Hag could take inspiration from both Zinchenko and Stones and switch his tactics to close the gap to City next season.
One thing about City, though, is that they consistently evolve under Guardiola, meaning they could find newer ways to get one over on their opponents in the upcoming campaign.
Topics: Manchester United, Lisandro Martinez, Erik Ten Hag, Pep Guardiola, John Stones, Champions League, Manchester City, Premier League