Looking at Arsenal, we see that Pep Guardiola has revolutionized English football.
Pep Guardiola has successfully revolutionized the playing style of the Premier League. The Spanish coach is a model for English clubs (including Arsenal) to learn from.
Man City are playing so well this season. They have been alone in the race for the Premier League title for many rounds. Man City's excellence is something that everyone can see, so much so that there has been no controversy throughout the recent journey of the Etihad team.
Many believe they will surely win the Premier League this season and even the League Cup on Sunday with a style of play that has never been seen before in England.
The Premier League is widely regarded as the most physical league in Europe, with players playing in cold weather, on wet pitches and without a winter break. It is a tough competition for talented players. Many players start the season brilliantly, then fall off the pace in the run-up to Christmas, exhausted and a shadow of their former selves in the spring. None of this matters to Pep Guardiola’s side, who have already left their rivals far behind in the table.
The truth is that Man City have secured the Premier League title without Pep Guardiola being forced to change his style of play. His team does not rely on steel in midfield. In fact, Man City will win the title with a midfield three, including a box-to-box midfielder and two No. 10s, something that was unthinkable before Pep arrived in England in 2016.
Pep Guardiola's opponent in the EFL Cup final is Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman was once considered the world's top coach. His success has always been linked to a team that includes two strong, combative central midfielders, who free up the attackers further up the pitch. Patrick Vieira was a key player in Arsenal's Premier League-winning seasons (1998, 2002 and 2004). He formed a strong bond with Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto Silva, the defensive midfielders who helped the Gunners dominate the midfield.
And when Wenger changed his style of play, Arsenal immediately went astray.
It’s worth remembering that before Pep was appointed, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were both considered talented number 10s. Managers could build their teams around them. But Pep Guardiola didn’t. He played them both as number 8s. And De Bruyne and David Silva have been very effective, showing how good Pep’s organisation and management skills are.
Fernandinho was used by Pep Guardiola as a defensive midfielder but in reality, that is not his natural position. At Shakhtar Donetsk, he was a box-to-box midfielder who attracted attention with his runs into the opposition box. At Man City, Fernandinho was repositioned to play alongside Yaya Toure. But he was often isolated due to Toure's lack of support.
If Fernandinho can’t play effectively behind Yaya Toure, he certainly can’t play well behind David Silva and De Bruyne. In theory, Fernandinho shouldn’t be effective. But through a combination of possession-based play, solid team structure, pressing and a high defensive line, Pep Guardiola has made Man City’s style of play work.
Arsenal are also an example of how difficult it is to use two number 10s in the team. Wenger is struggling to assemble a team, with Arsenal having two number 10s in Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The French coach has had to switch from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, similar to Man City's, but has not yet achieved the desired results. Against Tottenham, Wenger played Ozil and Mkhitaryan on the wings. This shows the difference between Wenger and Pep Guardiola. Ozil, Mkhitaryan, De Bruyne and David Silva are all number 10s. But while the two Arsenal players were pushed out to the wings, the two Man City players were pulled inside to provide their creativity from deep positions.
This could be the football of the future. Premier League teams have focused on physical, pressing football, both in the past and in recent seasons. Pep Guardiola has shown that Man City can succeed with a technical, possession-based style of play, with attacking players dropping deep.
England failed to get Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to play together in the national team. Pep Guardiola has shown how to use such attackers in a system. It would be no exaggeration to say that Pep has been a gift to English football.
After revolutionizing football in Spain and Germany, Pep is doing the same in England. And it would be a waste if England did not learn from Pep's methods.
