Pragmatic Pep Guardiola sheds his tika-taka image
He's more Mourinho-like than many may think and that's not really a bad thing
The Jose Mourinho-era at Real Madrid was characterized by a pragmatic (ie. flexibly organized) side being able to punch Pep Guardiola’s tika-taka Barcelona side in the mouth. Playing physically while engaging in constant psychological mind games, Mourinho’s behavior had an impact on Pep, seemingly driving him away from La Liga. In the Bundesliga, pragmatism is increasingly frowned upon, but in England, where a mixture of tactical setups and playing styles now litter the Premier League, Guaridola has adjusted accordingly to the times and needs.
Guardiola’s sides played what we’d term, beautiful football at Barcelona, Bayern and the first few seasons at Manchester City, but since late 2020 or early 2021 (a season whose calendar was altered due to COVID-19), a pragmatism mixed with tactical tinkering has overtaken Pep. The loss of David Silva in the summer of 2020 and Fernandinho’s decline with age in central midfield eventually created a situation where Manchester City’s lineup choices and formations were changing a lot more than they did in the record-shattering 2017-18 and 2018-19 Premier League title seasons.
In both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 title campaigns, Manchester City were generally on the front foot, but often times playing in multiple gears and stressing tactical shape out-of-possession, as much as the slick short passing and tika-taka Guardiola teams are known for. This proved Pep, could “go again,” so to speak and for the first time in his career effectively rebuilt a playing squad AND shifted style, while not compromising results. The mythical image of an overly-ideological Pep who only could coach ready-made squads for a short time period has been busted.
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