5 Premier league games. 15 goals. 4 against & maximum points. A convincing qualification to the champion’s league and an unbeaten record in the group stages highlight the immediate effect Pep Guardiola has had on Manchester City’s dominant start to the 2016/17 season.
Pep’s philosophy of total football is well known in football circles. The notion of moving the ball from back to front in a fluid, easy on the eye style. Rarely does the ball leave the grass and each player in the first 2 thirds plays quickly off limited touches. In the attacking third his teams overload the opposition and players find quick solutions to create goal scoring chances in the blink of an eye through clever individualism or accurate combination play.
Out of possession the general consensus is to work hard and defend from the front with aggression and speed. Passing lanes are closed off rapidly by the players behind the ball and the instruction is to anticipate, steal and counter attack the opposition. The opposition regularly lose possession of the ball by a forced mistake or a kick up the pitch or out of play.
The attack is the best form of defence theory is very apparent with Guardiola’s teams. The opposition cannot score when his teams have the ball. Regular circulation of the ball maintains possession but can also frustrate and fatigue the opposition. During the dying minutes of a game it is more likely the team who have exerted the least amount of energy through good ball possession will be more likely to score late on.
So what tactical tweaks & changes has Guardiola enforced on Man city?
Formation
Pep has installed a 4-3-3 system into his players. Not rigid by any means. The system is flexible, allows fluid rotation especially down the sides of the pitch when the team has excellent ball possession. Under Mancini and Pellegrini a 4-4-2 system was preferred and the style was rigid and meant playing players out of position (David Silva) or players who did not fit into the formations requirements (Yaya Toure). It is apparent now Guardiola has put his most technically gifted footballers down the spine of the team e.g. Bravo, Stones, Kolarov, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero.
Patterns of play
Centre backs – stepping into Midfield with and without the ball to create an overload in midfield, pushing the opposition back to defend their box.
Full backs – Appearing regularly in central midfield to allow winger 1v1 opportunities with the oppositions full back and it creates a heavy overload in central areas when trying to play through the opposition. The ‘False Full back’ tactic also means on the breakdown of an attack more bodies are in central areas which improves the chance of winning the ball back quicker
Holding midfielder – stays level or behind the ball and provides depth to the attacks. Fills in when defenders travel forwards with the ball whilst also provides defensive cover on the transition between attack and defence.
Wide players – stay wide when the ball is in the first and second third. This stretches the oppositions back 4 and allows for long switches of play from centre backs while it also creates space for the 2 highest midfielders who find space in the little half pockets between the oppositions full backs and central midfielders.
Strikers – stay central and threaten in behind the defence – this allows quick forward passes and pushes the oppositions defence back which intern creates more ball possession.
Defence transition – press high, fast with aggression, closing off the nearest 2 passing options when the opposition have possession.
Personal
Some players have fell victim of Guardiola’s philosophy and style of play.
Joe Hart– deemed not good enough with his feet for the style of play. The England Number 1 has been shipped out to Torino on loan. The fans favourite was replaced by Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Comfortable in possession Guardiola feels he is the man who can start Man city’s attacks from deep with his quick ball circulation and range of passing.
Yaya Toure, left out of Man city’s champion’s league squad and now in limbo because of negative comments from his agent criticising the Omission decision and Guardiola’s ego. Too laboured out of possession, too slow on the ball and tactically a liability, Toure will hardly feature for Man City and is likely to be moving on in January
Samir Nasri – sent home from training for being overweight, unfit and a bad influence. Nasri, although extremely gifted technically lacks the aggression on the transition to be effective for a Guardiola side and has been sent on loan to Sevilla in La Liga. A league which will bring out the best in Nasri.
Yet some players have thrived under his stewardship.
John Stones – By his own admission Stones had a poor 2015/16 season, in and out of the Everton side in conjunction with no appearance’s at the Euro’s despite being in the squad. A regular so far under Guardiola, Stones is in fine form and in the perfect place to demonstrate his talents. With Man city controlling possession Stones has spent a lot of time on the football. Stepping in to midfield on many occasions and playing penetrative passes into more creative midfielders. He has spent little time defending, but when he has had to defend he has done it very admirably. Under Guardiola Stones has the potential to be one of the world’s best in his position.
Aleksandar Kolarov – Considered an understudy to Gael Clichy at Left back in the last 3 campaigns, Guardiola has remoulded Kolarov into a ball playing, aggressive centre back. Criticised for his defending capabilities in recent seasons Kolarov has surprised everyone by making such a positive transition. His performances have been exceptional. Carrying the ball out of defence, showing off his excellent passing range by continually changing the point of attack or playing firm passes between the lines. By playing in the oppositions half a lot, Kolarov is also in range of the opposition’s goal, here he can use his powerful left foot to shoot at goal. Whether Pep picks him for the big champions league games is another question altogether but Kolarov has made a big impression so far.
Raheem Sterling – A scapegoat for England’s performances at Euro 2016. An ineffective 2015/16 season under Pellegrini saw Sterling widely mocked about his decline as a football player. The future was looking bleak for Sterling when Guardiola was appointed. However; Guardiola has reenergised Sterling, educated him and given him the confidence to believe in his natural ability. Sterling who has been played on the flank, has licence to roam, licence to travel with the ball and combine with team mates. No doubt his options are greater when playing for Man city as they have better players than England but his impact on the Man city side has been so great. Sterling’s dribbling ability is now a source of a positive outcome. Adding goals and assists to his game was a missing piece to his jigsaw, now finally the picture looks better.
Kevin De Bruyne- After his recent performance against Bournemouth, Guardiola stated that in World football he is second to Messi. A huge statement and confidence boost by his manager. De Bruyne who was sold by Jose Mourinho during his time at Chelsea, has physically developed, matured and has good experience playing in a number of leagues. Playing in Central midfield for Manchester City has seen De Bruyne more involved in the build up to attacks. His clever passes and penetrative runs forward help break the opposition’s defence’s walls. Both footed, tricky and a good team player, De Bruyne’s versatility will guarantee him a place in the side, and whilst he is given the licence to roam he could go on to become the PFA player of the year.
It is apparent that Guardiola’s is passionate, dedicated and is not afraid to make big decisions for the benefit of the team. The results have been fantastic so far for him. Credit to the players who have picked up his ideas so quickly. The scary thing for the title rivals is that I assume it can only get better as the players understand what is expected of them more and more in terms of their roles, responsibilities and position in the team/squad.
