Pragmatic Pep takes a page out of the Pulis playbook

Guardiola gets creative at the right time for Manchester City

Manchester City are on a tear after looking well-off the pace earlier in the season, a period which culminated in an embarrassing elimination from the League Cup by Southampton. Pep Guardiola fixed things, once again tinkering, but in a way few of us expected.

Pep Guardiola and Tony Pulis we would believe have diametrically opposite footballing philosophies. But in reality both are adept at getting the most out of their resources, and as Manchester City chases a historic treble, this season’s turnaround is down largely to Pep taking a page out of Pulis’ playbook - well sort of.

Pulis was famous or maybe infamous for at times fielding four central defenders, and relying on quick wingers (think Matthew Etherington, Jermaine Pennant, etc) to make counter-attacking runs while playing off a traditional target forward. Now while Stoke City under Pulis was interested in soaking up pressure, and Guardiola’s Manchester City dominates possession, there is a very clear similarity in thought to what both managers were thinking - put the best man-to-man defenders on the pitch that you can while creating mismatches (size for Pulis, athleticism for Pep).

The integration of a pure number nine in Erling Haaland has changed Pep’s setup in tangible ways.