Pep Guardiola’s dogmatism might cost Manchester City more than the Premier League title but Champions League qualification as well.
Playing for 90
It’s starting to become a bit of a pattern for Manchester City. Careless errors in the back lead to goals. These conceded goals cost City points. As a further consequence, City drops down the table, and people look to Pep Guardiola to make some tactical choices to fix the slide. Guardiola casually dismisses those concerns and does nothing. Then, more careless errors in back lead…
I think you get my drift.
Everyone knows Guardiola is an uncompromising perfectionist. For most of his managing career, that mentality has worked wondrously. But now, City’s prolonged struggles and his puzzling refusal to amend his tactics and style that are in part responsible for those struggles has raised eyebrows.
The 4-2 thumping at the King Power Stadium against embattled Leicester City is just the latest example. For me, it’s also the last straw. Going two goals down within five minutes and then three down in 20 is hard to accept. I’m no tactical genius, but a layman such as I foresaw the danger and warned about Jamie Vardy’s pace and precise finishing and Riyad Mahrez’s keen vision on the counterattack. After all, Chelsea burned the Citizens last week in the same ruthless manner.
And Pep, being Pep, elected for today a slow, mistake-prone back three of Pablo Zabaleta, John Stones and Bacary Sagna. Making things worse, in his demand for fluid shape on the field, Guardiola also mandates for them unorthodoxically to push high up the field when in possession. This leaves the back further exposed and vulnerable to a proficient counterattack. Claudio Ranieri and Leicester just happened to win the Premier League last year with such means. Apparently, Guardiola didn’t notice.
Or he didn’t care. Well, I got news for you, Pep, near-80 percent possession means nothing if you don’t create goalscoring chances and instead give them up. Leicester didn’t need many; they still gashed you four times.
The other thing that deserves ridicule is Guardiola’s exorbitant shopping and dealing in the transfer window. It really looks like it weakened the team. He invested in exciting attackers without overhauling the defense or holding midfield areas.
He paid nearly £50 million for a defender whose forte isn’t defending or consistent decision-making but passing. Vardy proved that’s not a winning skill set, especially when poor choices on the ball often negate however marvelous one’s ingenuity in passing is — see Leicester’s fourth and Vardy’s third goal.
Pep also kicked stalwart shot-stopper Joe Hart to the curb for a keeper in Claudio Bravo who can’t stop shots. But he has foot skills, we’re told. City will be able to build out of the back, and it will look pretty, we’re told. Well, Bravo only has proven adept at digging the ball out of the back of the net. Yes, as promised, the traditional goalkeeping skills are indeed non-existent, but those vaunted ball control abilities have been fickle to the point of being non-existent too. The Bravo acquisition after Hart’s exile has got to be the worst transfer decision in the Premier League this season. City thoroughly deserves its paltry two clean sheets.
The way I see it, Guardiola has some soul-searching to do. Sure, there was a dearth of options today due to suspensions. But that’s not an excuse to implement brash tactics but rather to sure them up. Don’t set up your defenders for failure. Play a back four with two holding midfielders in front of it. How about a little more clearing the ball up the field instead of toying with it in the back? Possession can still be dominated. Full backs can still push far up the field. Who cares if it’s not posh? It’s more in vogue than missing out on the Champions League, which City will do if Guardiola doesn’t change, at least until he can buy defensive players that better fit his schemes this January or coming summer — let’s not blow a wad of cash on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is not needed.
Next: What to Watch for as Citizens Travel to Leicester
I think a little conventional wisdom and pragmatism is what’s called called for, not more of the same. They say insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over. So, Pep, please, let’s quit flirting with that mistress because that’s a guarantee of disaster.