From past to present, Pep Guardiola has always pursued controlled football, regardless of whether the club he leads is Barca, Bayern or Man City. However, this season, especially after the presence of winger Jeremy Doku, Pep’s Man City has had many changes. Is he betraying himself?
When Doku was announced as the best player Man City vs Liverpool match at Etihad, two opposing opinions appeared afternoon. For some people, it’s a no-brainer. The Belgian international plays the main character with the ability to stir up the left wing as he has done many times this season. This was another match where Guardiola’s game plan seemed designed around stuffing Doku with the ball as much as possible. And once he has the ball, the 21-year-old star often makes a difference. According to statistics, he had 11 successful dribbles against Liverpool, the largest number a player has achieved in the Premier League in more than 2 years.
For others, though, it was a confusing decision. As mentioned above, Doku “rocks” Very good but he often loses the ball. In the first half, the reason Liverpool was able to organize so many quick advances was because players like Doku lost the ball by trying to do something creative. The difference in perspective between the two main opinions lies here. For those who think Doku is the best player on the field, the fact that Man City lost control is not of concern. Doku is a winger, whose task is to create breakthroughs, so how can you avoid losing the ball?
Pep is relying heavily on Doku on the left wing
That’s probably how most people would judge the match overall. However, that is not really the way Man City in general and Guardiola in particular pursue. The fact that Doku started against Chelsea, with Jack Grealish on the bench, shows that Pep likes what Doku brings and, more importantly, trusts him to do it in a match where Pep often promotes caution. Doku is the type of player that excites fans with his impressive individual plays, the type of star that Man City really hasn’t had in recent years. However, the Green Man is lagging behind themselves in the ability to control the ball, even recording the lowest possession rate of the Guardiola era.
Why is that? Is Pep adopting a more chaotic approach, getting the ball into the opponent’s goal as quickly as possible and hoping the home team’s attacks will make the difference in the box? Both yes and no. The match against Liverpool went like that, outstanding in the first half, and this is not the first time this season Man City cannot control the match. Same before Chelsea. But it’s not like Pep wants it. He actually didn’t have enough staff.
Before Liverpool, Man City’s reserve team had 8 people, including 2 goalkeepers, John Stones (not ready to play), 2 defenders, Kalvin Phillips and 2 academy stars. It’s not that those players aren’t good enough, but there’s no one on the bench who could allow Guardiola to play a more controlled game. Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Doku are the five players ahead of Rodri against Liverpool. What is the result of that? Man City wants to attack at high speed, Doku is the clearest example. So, the match will go in a certain direction. Without Silva expertly connecting everything, the first half would have been even more chaotic.
Pep lacks people to control, which causes Man City to face many counter-attack situations
Man City played well, but suppose if Grealish played instead of Doku and Ilkay Gundogan started instead of Alvarez, the match would be different. Not necessarily better, but different. At that time, Man City will make more passes, attack slower and can control the game more. Guardiola is really trying to control games as much as possible, despite being forced to use the right players in most cases to create chances rather than keep the ball.
Pep’s Man City have always had balance – Kevin De Bruyne’s attacking instincts are balanced by David Silva’s (and later Bernardo or Gundogan’s) more controlled approach. None of those players are bad, they’re just different. “Problem” occurs when that balance is lost. Blue Man lacks the people needed to control the ball, forcing Pep to adapt by playing more directly. Once everything stabilizes again, Man City will look like the old team again. But the current Green Man is also interesting.
