Pep Guardiola explains why he and his bosses at Manchester City like to have a small squad (indeed, the smallest in the Premier League) when he pointed to a concerted effort to locate flexible players.
“That’s why, when you sign them, you have to say: ‘This kid can play in 3 or 4 positions,'” explained the Catalan, before reviewing Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and academy prospect Oscar Bobb.
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City have been unable to field a full nine-man bench this season and while back-to-back defeats in the Premier League have shown their reliance on the suspended Rodri, they have been able to triumph over an early-season injury crisis thanks to coming up with a variety of answers to (try) fill in the gaps, from using Kyle Walker as the sole presence on the right wing to moving defender Manuel Akanji in midfield and the mix of Foden and Alvarez Erling Haaland.
And the other characteristics of his players mean Guardiola can fine-tune how temporarily or slowly he needs his team to play, depending on who is available and where they play on the pitch.
“If I looked for more Array, I’d put more players like (Mateo) Kovacic in the attacking midfield, or Rico (Lewis) in that position,” he said of the partnership between Foden and Alvarez. “Then maybe we’d have fewer and fewer runners in the final third. “
Guardiola’s tactical instructions hugely influence City’s way of playing (in some games they may look intentionally uninspired as they seek control; in others they look to blow up the opposition), meaning that many players may look completely differently in a match (or one). part to the next).
In this player-by-player (goalkeepers excluded) consultation, we look at what to expect from each member of the City squad, from their other roles on the pitch to how exactly they might play them.
It’s been a while since Walker was used at right-back at City, and until the end of last season he proved his worth as a right-back finding himself on the right of all three defenders, rarely advancing and securing himself in defence to quell any counter-attack. But Guardiola has figured out an explanation for moving him higher up the pitch this season and it’s usually not such an orthodox right-back role: Walker has necessarily been a right-back, covering the entire right flank while City had possession, squeezing the touchline and allowing his nominal right winger to slide into central areas.
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This has already allowed Foden and Bernardo to start on the right but move in, Guardiola has figured out another way to use Walker, who also gets anything else out of others at the same time.
Not long ago, Guardiola explained in detail that the Englishman cannot get into midfield like John Stones does, but he obviously has many uses.
Lewis stands out as one of the most flexible players in the entire team, in terms of the variety of roles he can play. He played the first game against Bayern Munich, as a right-back, away from home, and I thought ‘Oh, this guy is good,'” Guardiola said recently about his breakthrough in pre-season last season. Since then, Lewis has been used as a left-back, as a midfielder and, just before the foreign break, as an even more complex midfielder.
“Rico helped us realize what we wanted to do to play better and better,” Guardiola said last season of his ability to move from right-back to midfield. “After that, Kyle realises that (and) John (Stones) are betting on that “The Stones’ arrival in midfield is likely key to City’s treble in 2022-23, but it was Lewis who paved the way, and when he plays in midfield, he provides the team with the kind of defensive balance it wants. frustrating offensive-minded players like Foden, Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne.
“If you play in that position, you have certain responsibilities to fulfil for the team,” Guardiola said. “Some players, like Rico Lewis, have them right away. When he comes in, I haven’t taught him anything.
After first being used in midfield through Guardiola in 2018, the City manager asked one of his friends how he thought Stones had behaved and told him the Englishman was not in proper form when receiving the ball. When Guardiola accepted the comments, he called Stones to have the recommendation relayed directly to him.
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“One of the hardest things for me is that I don’t have that 360-degree vision, but now that I have it I feel better,” Stones said in the summer, weeks after entering midfield with aplomb in the Champions League final. . He did it first as a right-back, then as a centre-back and then that night in Istanbul. He’s perfectly capable of staying and being a “normal” centre-back, but when he gets to midfield, he can pass everyone. the path to the opponent’s area.
He looks less complete when tasked with offering the ultimate pass, but he is a true master in the first two-thirds, and his imminent return from injury will be a major encouragement for Guardiola, providing City with an excellent balance in the squad.
In the context of an incredibly flexible City team, it’s probably a bit disappointing that a defender “only” plays as a right or left centre-back, but this can’t be detected by any means. And it’s good for Dias to know that he’s very smart at what he does.
On top of all the apparent things, such as winning headers, making tackles and blocks, his counter-pressing is fantastic, even on the edge of the opposition box, and while he is not the ultimate expansive in his passing, he is brave. . Accomplished enough and complete enough to keep his foot on the ball and draw the warring parties to the press, and – anyway – he hasn’t been caught off guard.
This went unnoticed, as Akanji is rarely the sexiest name, but one of the biggest surprises in the variety of Guardiola’s squad at Arsenal was that in the last game before this foreign break the Swiss was not in the line-up – he had started 10 of City’s other 12 games this season and injured in one of the other two.
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Guardiola loves Akanji and his versatility is a big component of that. He arrived as a centre-back but ended up moving to right-back, so the Stones can move into midfield and then move up to midfield. In Nathan Ake’s absence, Akanji moved up to left-back and is arguably even better in one-on-one duels, and at the start of this season he even took on the role of the Stones, occasionally playing alongside Rodri in the starting line-up.
He doesn’t look as comfortable as the Englishman, but given his adaptation to other roles (and Guardiola’s confidence) it wouldn’t be unexpected to see him succeed there in the future.
Ake may not have been signed for this particular period, but the way City are their left-back in those days suits him perfectly.
Instead of the days when Benjamin Mendy was getting closer to the line, the more recent days when Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko came into midfield or Joao Cancelo became a central playmaker, Ake’s task is to sit on the left of a back three. It shows off his impressive defensive skills.
He played as a midfielder in his early days, but so far that hasn’t been on the agenda. However, it is also one of City’s offensive characteristics from set pieces.
Like Ake, although given his comfort in ownership (either passing or carrying the ball), it wouldn’t be unexpected to see Guardiola use Gvardiol’s summer signing in more adventurous roles, perhaps the Stones’ task of reaching midfield. Definitely, nothing more. It will be on the agenda. He is already one of the City players most likely to seek out and execute a pass from Haaland.
He only played a few years at left-back, and not convincingly in his first season at City, meaning he doesn’t play too much. When he does, though, Gomez is an old-school left-back who steps up. The sideline and can cross. In reality, however, he is a right winger who cuts inside to shoot from outside the box; That’s the position he grew up in and played for the Spanish U21 team last season.
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Gomez has also been used on the left wing through Guardiola this season. So, in theory, he’s a wonderful weapon for City, who can bring anything to the table in a number of areas, but last season his position in the team was more or less on par. with Kalvin Phillips and Cole Palmer and this season he hasn’t come any closer to the Premier League. Even the club’s injury crisis.
In terms of roles for the team, Guardiola recently said Phillips was well prepared for last month’s game against Nottingham Forest after Rodri was sent off at the start of the second half because it was more of a battle, with a lot of running. , but it can struggle when things want to be more precise. That is necessarily what Guardiola has said.
“Kalvin still wants a little bit of rhythm in the short spaces,” he said in April. Phillips has shown for England that he is a smart midfielder with an accurate cross-field pass in his locker, and that turns out to be broadly compatible with City. Recent technique for the ball carriers, but the chances of him having that chance seem to be very slim, especially with Kovacic and Matheus Nunes ahead of him in the pecking order after signing.
Like Dias, he would possibly only have a starring role, but what a task he does with it. That said, Rodri has shown this season that he is very comfortable to step up and join the attack when the warring sides are far away (he can’t qualify as an attacking midfielder, but in fact he operates at the top of the pitch). His sense of purpose is uncommon for a midfielder and he can strike from inside or outside the penalty area, either coming in with the ball or taking it there.
Rodri is one of City’s main drivers, the type of midfielder that Guardiola himself almost fixes in his position and dictates everything that moves around him with short or long passes, hit at precisely the right time. This specific price was highlighted in his absence after the red card, with well-rounded players looking for pick strategies and failing.
Bought this summer for a variety of reasons, adding to its versatility. City expected Kovacic to play as an attacking and defensive midfielder (both alongside Rodri and as a lone centre) when he arrived, it was recognised that it could take some time to improve on that solitary role, and he struggled against Wolves. (and also opposed to Arsenal with more help around them). Kovacic brings something new to City’s look as he is regularly perfect for releasing tension and dribbling around the pitch without delay and can then look for a pass past Haaland.
Although he runs with the ball more than most City players and struggles to impose his authority on the game against Wolves in Rodri’s absence, he is more of a ‘controller’ than Foden, De Bruyne or Alvarez, as Guardiola quotes in The Article’s Ultimate Sense Highlights.
It provides the city with options.
Nunes also gives a lot of options: “He can play in midfield, he can play in attacking midfield; over time he can simply play as a full-back thanks to his physicality,” Guardiola said shortly after his arrival. Like Kovacic, he carries the ball much more than City’s players historically, a characteristic the club was looking for in particular in this summer’s transfer window.
Again, like Kovacic, despite this probably more direct style, City’s managers love his defensive acumen and decision-making on the ball, meaning he can be used to bring a bit of balance to the team in collaboration with Foden, Alvarez and others. looking to wreak even more havoc ahead, because you’re not expected to make decisions that leave the team exposed.
He can play in “many, many positions,” Guardiola says, and even had a brief stint at left-back last season. Bernardo can maintain his width on the right flank or move inside and play in the middle. Arsenal dropped deeper, as they have done many times in the past, helping City move the ball down the pitch. He also played as a false nine against Haaland. Si he wasn’t a break-type player when he was signed six years ago, Bernardo is now. In fact, it explains precisely how a player who can get the ball in front of his conflicting teams can still dictate the speed of a game and not leave the team exposed, because it turns out that he is making the right decision.
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“When we want a faster winger, I would play with Jeremy (Doku), for example,” Guardiola said. “When you want a winger who has the ball and who gives you extra time to sign for the team, signing ‘He’s prepared for the structure, he’s very good’.
“Phil can play in all five attacking positions,” says Guardiola: the two wings, the false nine and the roles of left and right attacking midfielder, although in the central positions, the City manager likes to compensate more direct players like Foden with those who “give you extra time to sign up for the team” by thinking a little more about what’s behind them.
Traditionally, it looked like Foden or De Bruyne (the most destructive creators) on the right and a Gundogan or Bernardo/David Silva (short-range passes, pace markers) on the left with a midfielder behind. At the start of this season, however, Guardiola was able to take on Foden and Alvarez in combination and balance them with two midfielders at the back (which became imaginable thanks to Walker betting on the right wing).
“When Phil plays on the right wing, he can do that. In the beginning, when he played on the left wing, he played well, now he hasn’t been playing well lately. In midfield, he can play on the right, on the left, in the pockets, without any problem,” Guardiola said, and there may be more as well.
“At the end of the day, I would like him to play as a midfielder and for that he wants to perceive the game as something ‘global’, in everything, just ‘me’. “
One of the easiest players to pin down in recent times, as he still plays on the right side of the attacking midfield duo, however, in City’s two seasons he has moved around a bit, popping up on the left and even as a false nine.
De Bruyne is, of course, City’s main creator, but his riskier style of play means Guardiola has been happy to make up for it with someone like Gundogan or Bernardo.
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Any combination of these players might seem like an apparent partnership due to their individual qualities, but the real secret lies in how they all work together.
One point to note about Alvarez is a position he supposedly can’t play. Earlier this year, Guardiola said he didn’t want the Argentine to be a false nine, which seemed unexpected given that he had been used there via former club River Plate at home and their total. The game was perfect both inside and outside the penalty domain of the 18-metre opponent.
City don’t see him as a winger either and, compared to most of his other teammates, all of that makes him seem limited.
But what they are doing with Alvarez is adding another thread to his goal: as Haaland will continue to be named the main striker, Guardiola is taking the South American into the goal zones from a deeper role. In terms of City’s balance, he would regularly update De Bruyne as the ultimate attacking risk in midfield, however, he regularly starts even at the top of the pitch and drops down to get the ball in complex areas.
Alvarez, of course, is in position and willing to play as a striker if Haaland is not available. He received the cleanest ball hit of the entire team, according to Trackman technology, which is a feat considering the competition.
GO FURTHER
Julián Álvarez: Manchester City’s ‘unique’ player
Remember what Guardiola said about Bernardo being as smart as a winger “giving you extra time to sign up for the team, sign up for the structure”?He’s spent the vast majority of his time on the left wing, two years ago this week he was first tried as a false nine in the relaxed atmosphere of Anfield, which seemed like an ambitious move. as an attacking midfielder when he first signed for Aston Villa, but that has yet to materialise.
Given his transformation as a free-spirited dribbler to pace-regulating tactician, his value to the team is overlooked, despite being so notoriously a key component of the three-time winning team.
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Grealish is an integral part of what Guardiola wants, even if he’s already wasting an online PR war with. . .
Just the kind of winger that most football enthusiasts need to see (even if it means wasting a bit of ownership while looking for something). Wasting the ball makes sense to Guardiola, though, and it will be desirable to see how he develops his flashy skills to suit City’s sometimes more cautious taste (or how his team adapts to it).
To be fair to Doku, he doesn’t lose the ball too much, especially for someone who loves to dribble as much as he does. The coach has said in the past that Doku’s decision-making surprised him, as he expected it to be so in the first place. He’s a head-down dribbler, but Guardiola says he makes the right selection with the ball. He’s played on both wings and, although it’s a small sample, he looks better on the left.
Doku is a much more direct option than City have had on the wing for a few years now, but, since he is able to dribble from close range and does not look for a ball behind, he does not take the team off the field. It balances as much as it sounds.
“I needed more ‘dynamic’, Oscar is smart to position himself in small spaces, the creativity he has,” Guardiola said after bringing on the 20-year-old Norwegian at half-time against Wolves. In terms of his taste for the game, Bobb turns out to be Guardiola’s best striker: a skilful winger, very comfortable in tight spaces and capable of playing inside. Like Riyad Mahrez in terms of wide taste of play, but with the versatility of Bernardo.
It’s evident that Bobb doesn’t enjoy the experience of the two, which means a lot to Guardiola. Once City welcome back most of their injured players, it is unlikely that Bobb will get too many opportunities as a substitute. Especially at half-time, but in terms of skill and style, he fits very well into the team.
As much as possible for a single use, what utility.
He struggled a bit with his heist game this season but was pretty smart in his first year 2022-23 and there was a big help for Alvarez against Red Star Belgrade last month that not all strikers can pull off.
Apart from that, Haaland is a striker, natural and simple. His straightforward taste and lack of off-the-beaten-path skill (compared to Bernardo, Foden and Gundogan) saw City spend two-thirds of last season looking for their balance, which worried him. a full midfield with Gundogan, Rodri and Stones, and wingers like Grealish and Bernardo to (in short) slow it down so that Haaland and De Bruyne can then accelerate it.
It’s very good.
(Top photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images)