This might finally be the year. It might finally be the year that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City don't win the Premier League. Despite that, they've still been the most tactically complex team in the league, carrying on from much of the tactics that brought them a treble-winning triumph last season. Here is what Pep Guardiola has imposed in 2023-24, continuing to make City one of the most dominant forces in the world.
Some like to approach games in a disciplined structure, intentionally and meticulously dictating games to their own tempo. Others opt for a more emotionally-charged philosophy, reliant on the belief, energy and willpower of their trusted eleven on the field.
For the unfamiliar, Forge FC are the Manchester City of the Canadian Premier League. They play a possession-based 4-3-3, stacked with ball-savvy savants, and a culture that embodies winning. The Canadian Premier League's been around since 2019 now. Forge have won the Playoffs in four of the five seasons, and lost the final in the one other at the hands of players they recruited to their team immediately after.
It might be wrong to credit this tactical approach to Pep Guardiola. After all, the origin story to the 'fullback' is because the defender was fully back. However, in operating with a centre-back that steps up into midfield, Guardiola also created a construction within his team that regularly positioned centre-backs out wide. From then on, this approach has only become more popular. It's been the top tactical trend of 2023, and often one that's allowed the best teams in the world to thrive.
Manchester City might have won the UEFA Super Cup, but it was not the most convincing of victories from the Citizens. The match against Sevilla served as one of the first examples I've seen of Guardiola going against his typical brilliance in adapting to the moment and his players available, and sticking to a system instead. Here's an analysis of why Manchester City set up in a way that was less than optimal against Sevilla.
Much has been made this summer about Real Madrid's lack of a natural Karim Benzema replacement up front, and the downgrade of Joselu entering that position for Los Blancos instead. But sometimes, you don't need to replace a player in the transfer market with a like-for-like switch. Sometimes, all you need to do is tweak the shape of the team. This is what Real Madrid have done in finding a solution for their Benzema dilemma. In the process, they've also presented a solution to the conundrum regarding how to fit all their fantastic pieces in midfield together.
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