Manchester City's rare bus 1-1 tied by Arsenal. Oliver Brown, chief editor of the Telegraph, wrote an article "Guardiola takes the risk of changing directions to pay tribute to Mourinho."
Manchester City needed tactical adjustments, but the transition was so extreme that the head coach abandoned all principles and instead adopted a negative pragmatic strategy.
Who are you? What did you do to Guardiola? Sometimes it is hard to believe that the person on the sidelines who was nervous and anxious to delay time, so he weirdly kissed the cheek of fourth referee Craig Bowson, turned out to be the smartest figure in football. This time he seemed to be determined to subvert all our perception of him, imitating Sean Dyche to form a five-guard formation to protect the 1-0 lead.
If Manchester City withstood Arsenal's second-half slam, people might praise his variability. But after Martinelli picked the blue defensive wall at the last moment, his innovation seemed too much.
Guardiola's brilliant career is closer to the end than to the beginning, and you want to remember his artistic peak: for example, in 2010, Barcelona defeated Mourinho's 5-0 Real Madrid, which not only humiliated his old rival, but also perfectly reflected his football philosophy. You certainly don't want to see this achievement be stripped of a desperate, Mourinho-style bus placing, actively encourage delays, and replace Föden with the left back with 24 minutes left. It is obvious that some kind of tactical change is needed since Manchester City suffered a downturn in the middle of last year's season. But this time it was very different, with the transition so distinct that the head coach abandoned all principles and took the most negative pragmatism.
Manchester City's possession rate in this game was only 32.8%, which is the lowest possession rate data in nine years of coaching, but this is far from the only unpopular statistic. Their passes in this game are also the lowest record in Guardiola's Premier League era, with only 295 shots, while the number of shots (only 5) is a new low in 21 months.
If this continues, their coach may become Mourinho's imitation show and the dark art he once despised. The Emirates Stadium booed Donnarumma so much that in the 76th minute, referee Atwell had to show him a yellow card. The Italian goalkeeper has always had some tricks, but he used it in his third game for Manchester City and was approved by Guardiola? Not long ago, it was simply unimaginable.
One interpretation is that the coach has just discovered a new way of playing. But in a deeper sense, it seems like a betrayal. Guardiola is known for fighting negative emotions, constantly conceiving more complex strategies to outwit teams eager to challenge him. However, this time, the professor of football aesthetics chose an almost "agricultural" solution. Replace Foden with Ak? Will create and complete a wonderful counterattack to help Manchester City's leading Haaland replace it and replace it with defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez? These adjustments are so unusual that it makes people wonder if they are a fake person in charge.
For the personnel, their hope is that Guardiola's tactics against Arsenal are just a flash in the pan, and his extremely conservative 5-1-3-1 formation will never appear again. For such a meticulous manager, these unscrupulous methods, to be honest, should not be taken by others.