“Pep Guardiola’s Pragmatic Approach to Manchester City’s Victory over Arsenal: The Genius Move Behind the “Kick and Rush””

2023-04-27 16:25:00

It’s a scene that probably went unnoticed in the madness that gripped the Etihad Stadium after Manchester City’s opener against Arsenal. We then play the 6th minute of play. Kevin De Bruyne, after a pivotal game and a magnificent pass from Erling Haaland, has just put his team in orbit. The Citizens lead 1-0 in this Premier League title clash and Skyblues fans are jubilant.

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On his bench, after a (very) short-lived joy, Pep Guardiola summons his goalkeeper Ederson. There will follow a rather muscular dialogue with the Brazilian goalkeeper during which the Catalan seems to make some criticisms of Ederson. But then what fly could have bitten Guardiola? What did he have to reproach his goalkeeper at that time of the match?

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Pep Guardiola during his chat with Ederson during Manchester City – Arsenal.

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Short or long ball raise? The pragmatic Guardiola had chosen

To understand this little altercation, and try to find an explanation for these remonstrances, you have to rewind a few seconds before the opening of the score. On this action which will lead to the first of KDB’s two goals, City recovers the ball after a too long pass from Thomas Partey. Then follows a short minute of possession of the SkyBlues, a sequence during which the citizen goalkeeper will touch the ball three times, even keeping it for several seconds, as if to wait for a short recovery solution.

Facing the locals, the Gunners are pressing high at the start of the game. Four Arsenal players are even in the last 20 meters of City when Ederson, a little by default, serves John Stones on the right of the surface. The central defender, taken by the throat by the pressing of the visitors, then decides to extend a long ball towards Haaland, present in the central circle. The Norwegian giant, in the fight with Rob Holding, perfectly controls the leather before launching KDB towards the goal and therefore towards the opener. In two passes, City has just passed from its goal line to the opposing net.

Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland, untenable against Manchester City

Credit: Getty Images

In his discussion with his goalkeeper, Pep Guardiola seems to reproach him for not having extended the ball earlier in the action, to play towards Haaland, often in one against one against Gabriel or Holding on these phases. For the Catalan coach, a fan of tiki-taka and short recovery since the start of his brilliant career on the benches, this request may seem surprising. But she is actually pragmatic and says it all about the former Bayern and Barcelona manager’s genius and understanding of the game.

When there is high pressure, it is the long balls that can be interesting

“Today was a game where we expected high pressing from Arsenal“, explained Pep Guardiola afterwards in a press conference. “And when there is high pressure, it is long balls and second balls that can be interesting. In this position, Erling is an incredible threat and his connection to Kevin is extraordinary. We tried to use it as much as possible“. A connection, which, in the 53rd minute of play, will offer a double to De Bruyne and will definitively seal the outcome of the match.

After the meeting and at the microphone of BT Sport, the man of the match also recognized that all of this had been skilfully prepared. “We had practiced a bit on the six-yard clearances, how we could manage that and create chances. As they were defending individually, we had to play longer because we didn’t have the space to play our short passes.“explained the Belgian playmaker. Before continuing his reasoning, on his rather particular tactical positioning to challenge the leader of PL:”Usually, we play with two players in the number 8 position. Against Arsenal, we adapted and I rather occupied the free space because Partey and Xhaka exerted good pressure on Gundogan and me in the middle“.

A perfectly prepared and mastered plan

“We had a lot of pressure and it was difficult to play our usual passing game and we tried to remedy that by playing on Erling” also confirmed John Stones, author of the penultimate pass towards the cyborg on the opener of the number 17 of City. A situation repeated several times by the Citizens during the game. Proof of this adaptation, the 36 balls touched by Haaland during the match. An abnormally high figure for the Norwegian who sometimes ends matches having seen the leather less than 15 times. A statistic revealing the changes made by the Catalan coach for this clash at the Etihad.

Manchester City jubilant after their display against Arsenal

Credit: Getty Images

Against Arsenal, in the most important match of his Premier League season, Pep Guardiola once again reinvented himself and put aside, in a very pragmatic way, his obsession with short raises. In front of an Arsenal team adept at counter-pressing, yet one of the hallmarks of Guardiola’s teams, the Citizens adapted, using the “kick and rush” to get out of the Gunners’ trap. Already in the first leg, Manchester City did not hesitate to leave the ball to Arsenal, for the result that we know (1-3 victory for City). After the evolution of the positioning of John Stones, sometimes central defender, sometimes midfielder, which had allowed City a few months ago to find a new stability, it is a new stroke of genius from the Catalan.

Mikel Arteta who admitted having been beaten “by a better team“, had perhaps not seen the blow coming. A disciple of Guardiola during his years as an assistant on the City bench, the Spanish coach was outclassed by his master. Guardiola once again proved, s he was still one of the strongest coaches in the history of the game.

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