Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola may well have found the closest thing to achieving its goal in his eternal quest for total control of the football game. Last season, after beating Brighton and Hof Albion at the Etihad Stadium, French broadcaster RMC asked him if he was satisfied with his opponent's low expected goal (0.16).
Guardiola responded: "I'm happy, but everything can get better. "Our goal is not to give anything to the opponent. No shots, no chances, nothing. Control everything. But..." The Catalan coach did not finish his words, but made his usual expression, as if to say that it is impossible to control everything.
1
It is impossible to control everything
Since he took over in the summer of 2016, every metamorphosis of his Manchester City squad has been to control the situation. Control the ball, control the pace of the game, control the mood, control the performance, control the opponent. Whether it's a fake No.9, like Phil Foden serving as a reference point in attack in Brighton, or getting a full-back into midfield, as Joao Joaorough did in the same Brighton game, Guardiola is trying.
Pep Guardiola, the greatest coach of his generation and one of the greatest players of all time, continues to think, adjust and experiment. Now, the latest phase of his quest for control is something we've seen since March: the back four are all made up of central defenders, mainly Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Acker.
2
Offense & Defense
As far as full-backs in City's squad are concerned, Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Arsenal last summer, Cancelo was loaned to Bayern Munich in January and Rico Lewis played some games at the beginning of the season but is now mostly on the bench, Kyle Walker Walker played a few games as a substitute before returning to XI (XI), but more often as a centre-back. His job is not so much offensive as defensive.
At the heart of this innovation is a desire to better defend itself. A central defender is a pure defender; They don't have the defensive compromises of full-backs, who tend to be converted wingers. If your centre-backs have technical qualities and decent speed, then they are a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola's squad. Sending four players means more balance, more solidity and more stability. City will not risk exposure as none of the quartet will be too aggressive. This setup allows Guardiola to use Stone in midfield, giving a certain odds to the part of the pitch that often decides the game.
3
Possession, possession, offensive transition, defensive transition
Guardiola can now control the four phases of the game: possession, possession, offensive transition and defensive transition. With four centre-backs and a 5-5 score between defenders and attackers, City have everything they need to control the game when they have the ball, they don't have the ball, attacking and defending.
Earlier this season, Guardiola used a back three with Walker, Dias and Emerick Laporte, with Bernardo being used as a midfield core for possession and a more left-sided defender outside of possession. This is part of the process. This tactic had good moments but did not fully convince the boss as City dominated in the first 45 minutes against Arsenal and also drew 1-1 against Nottingham Forest.
The key moment for change seems to be the Newcastle United home win on March 4, a victory that showed a strong collective performance, including not giving the opponent too many chances (5 shots on goal, 1 chance, 0.43 xG). A week later, Stones, Akanji, Dias and Ake returned to the back four again, with opponents missing nothing (4 shots, 0 chances, 0.21 xG). The same defence was used against RB Leipzig four days later, with a better result (7-0) and similar statistics.
4
Solid & threatening
With four centre-backs, City's defence is more balanced and solid, while also being equally effective and threatening in attack. Now they are on their way to an incredible triple crown.
END
Like this article, remember to comment, like, follow~