It would have been easy for him to look at the supremacy of his side as evidenced by the season just passed and decided more of the same was the best way forward this time around.īut he’s demanded an evolution just when teams thought they might be safe ducking for cover and blocking the gaps, Pep has added a new threat. When the backline numbers four, you’ll see City utilising the cut-inside method as they have done to great effect so far this season. For example, when we play against five in the back to play left on the left and right on the right it’s easier. It means that they can slot passes for the full-backs – Walker or Benjamin Mendy – on the overlap or else take the opportunity to drive for the line themselves. When City are faced with a deep-lying defence numbering five or more, they will play their right footer on the right and their left footer on the left.
He did so to great effect in the 6-0 demolition of the Ukrainian champions with a goal just after half time. Sterling too has the option of cutting in from the left and finding the target. “Riyad, normally, he can play on the right and he’s a guy who has a sense of goal,” says Guardiola. It means Mahrez has the option of going down the line and crossing low with his right foot – as he did for David Silva’s opener against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night in the Champions League – or else he can opt to turn inside and deliver a shot or an in-swinging pass towards the back post. Whenever a good opportunity exists to get the wide attacker one-on-one, it is taken. That ball featured heavily under Guardiola at Bayern when it was Dante or Jerome Boateng seeking out Arjen Robben. It has become a feature of City’s play to see Aymeric Laporte deliver quick long-range passes from the left side of the defence to Mahrez in attack. But this new system sees Guardiola return to the kind of attacking pattern that brought Guardiola so much success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. For a long time this City team attacked with a left-footed attacker on the left and a right-footed attacker on the right. Instead he has come to fill the right side of Guardiola’s offensive shape.Īnd when Mahrez goes right, Sterling goes left. He has not come to City to compete with the Silvas for a berth in attacking midfield nor will he replace Sane on the left side of attack. None of those however possess the same kind of offensive profile as the Algerian. The signing of Riyad Mahrez took many by surprise because City already had an abundance of left-footed attackers such as Sane, David Silva and Bernardo Silva. Not always and not dramatically but there is an added threat to the City attack. “With Leroy he’s a guy who makes movements, runs in behind and goes more to the byline than Raz ,” says Guardiola.īut this season things have changed. City got a player to the byline, put the ball into the centre of the box and usually found a finish.
When City got wide there was space for full-back Kyle Walker on the overlap or else Sterling just inside in the area known as the half space.
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