Pep Guardiola's Manchester City - Drawing Board Learnings

Koeman’s job is in danger, there’s no denying it. Barcelona are just not getting the results under him, but worse than that is the way in which we are playing, whether it be sitting deep against Bayern Munich or relying on crosses against Granada. Against Atletico Madrid, there were some positives signs, but they were few and far between. Against Valencia, it was a much better performance, nevertheless, it was a small sample size. In general, Koeman has come under fire for his tactics and game management. There are several managers linked with the Barcelona job, but we might as well explore the possibilities of what this team can do with some changes on the drawing board. Well today I will be analyzing Pep Guardiola’s system at Manchester City and let’s see what Barcelona can learn from it.

The Working

Over the years, Pep has tweaked his system quite a bit and at this point it’s hard to even define a formation seeing the liquid football Manchester City are playing under Pep. On paper, City start with a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 but on pitch it all changes. The basic parts of the system include 2 wingers, 2-3 “False 9s” and at least 2 pivots. The positioning of the players is constantly changing, and it always varies according to the opponent. I’ll be taking two examples with different personnel but similar roles to explain the system

Example 1 –

Starting XI vs Tottenham

Here, on paper its just a normal 4-3-3, but in play in switches to a 4-4-2 and soon a 2-3-5 when City are dominating the ball.

4-4-2

To define positions, Sterling and Mahrez provide width on the flanks, Torres and Grealish play as the False 9s and Gundogan and Fernandinho form the double pivot.

Positions in Possession

When City are dominating possession, Grealish tends to drop into the left half space in order to help in build-up and Gundogan tends to push forward into the right half space. To maintain the numerical advantage in the midfield, we often see Cancelo and Zinchenko move into the midfield. This allows City to dominate in the opposition third. The False 9s in Torres and Grealish dropping in to help with build-up pulls in defenders which then creates Gundogan space to run into.

With players so advanced, the press is very effective and immediate when City lose the ball. The only real weakness for this system is when the opposing team has pacey wingers and are really quick in transition. Spurs boasting the likes of Son, Moura and Bergwijn up front, caused City some real problems. Other players of the squad like KDB, Rodri, Foden, Jesus, Zichenko can seamlessly slot into this system as well.

Example 2 -

Starting XI vs Chelsea

Here again, it’s just another normal 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with KDB, Foden and Bernardo all in the team this time.

Build up - Right Flank

This time the build-up starts from Kyle Walker, who initially forms a “Back 3” with Laporte and Dias and progress the ball forward. Positionally, Jesus and Cancelo occupy the flanks, Foden and Grealish play as False 9s, Rodri and Bernardo form the double pivot and KDB occupies a free role in the middle of the field.

Adaptable Wide Players

With both wingers and full backs adaptable to wide and inverted roles, City can seamlessly create numerical advantages on the flanks or in the middle of the pitch without comprising either.

Build up - Left Flank

When City build-up from the left, Grealish tends to pick up the ball on the left wing, Cancelo pushes into the midfield alongside Rodri and Foden drops into the left half space, freeing up space in the middle of the penalty box for Gabriel Jesus or KDB to make the run.

The Principles

• Central Numerical Superiority
• Inverted Fullbacks
• Strong Base 
• Immediate Press

The Implementation

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City system has several features which Barcelona can implement in their own game. With the abundance of central attacking and midfield talent, a lack of wide players and a shaky defensive base, the principles of the City system are sure to aid the Barcelona team.

Formation 1 –

Starting XI

On paper, we have the 4-3-3 which is adaptable to the 4-4-2 while pressing and 2-3-5 in attack.

Half Spaces Occupied and Strong Base

While dominating possession, Alba and Gavi occupy wider roles, and this allows Pedri and Memphis to occupy central roles in the half spaces where they can do damage. Ansu Fati occupies the forward spot but has the license to roam as Memphis can make his way there as well. Instead of leaving Busquets and the centre backs exposed, Frenkie De Jong and Roberto also form part of the defensive base where they control the tempo of the game while also providing extra support in defence. When the ball is lost, the immediate press can be initiated as there are 5 players who are quite advanced in their positioning. If the team is able to make its way through the initial press, the defensive base is solid and has enough personnel to extinguish the danger.

Mid-Block

Against superior opposition, a 4-4-2 midblock can also be implemented with Memphis and Ansu Fati on the front foot, while Pedri, Busquets, Gavi and Pedri form the midfield line of the press.

Formation 2 –

Starting XI

On paper again it’s the 4-3-3 but this time Mingueza coming in instead of Roberto. The principles are similar to the previous formation along with a few tactical tweaks.

Build-up

In this instance, Mingueza forms a Back 3 with the centre backs which allows Barcelona to have more personnel in the backline while progressing up the field, which would be useful against high pressing opposition. In midfield, Frenkie De Jong has the license to drive the ball forward and be the main outlet when off the ball. In attack instead of occupying the half spaces, Pedri and Memphis have free roles. This would be particularly helpful against low blocks where unpredictability is necessary. It would give more space to the wide players to make runs as well and allow someone like Gavi to invert into the middle. The press is just as efficient, and the back line still has enough cover.

There you have it, the Drawing Board Learnings from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City system. Comment down below which other principles of Guardiola’s system can Barcelona implement, share the content and why not check out my 5 Key Takeaways from the Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid match-up, where I discussed the shortcomings of Koeman’s system. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon and remember its more than a blog.