'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
2. Guardiola’s overthinking
English publication Daily Mail, on Tuesday, reported that Manchester City stars were quite vocal in expressing their concerns to manager Pep Guardiola over his extensive tactical twitching every week. The to-be-usurped English champions tasted their 7th defeat of the Premier League, this time at the hands of Jose Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur. City were not the worst team on the night, having missed another penalty, falling victim to VAR decisions, hitting the bar twice and being utterly wasteful in front of goal.
Pep Guardiola’s men blanked against both Spurs and Manchester United this past week just after becoming the first European team to cross the 100-goal mark in all competitions this season. Although, the domestic treble holders find themselves in second place in the Premier League, in the final of the Carabao Cup final, in the FA Cup quarters and await a mammoth Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid in the Champions League, the team looks like a shadow of the juggernaut we have witnessed in the past two seasons.
Perhaps, Manchester City’s standards have soared so high that this kind of scenario makes it seem like there is a huge crisis at the club. But why have they not been as ruthless as they normally are? Much can be accredited to injuries, as discussed in the previous section. But even without the two, this City team is more than capable of challenging Liverpool for the title.
Fans and pundits will point out Raheem Sterling’s form, the defense’s vulnerability and the players’ confidence levels as reasons for City’s downfall. But an important factor has to be the manager. Pep Guardiola has no doubt revolutionised Manchester City Football Club, instilled in it an almost perfect brand of attacking football and has found ways to take then-average players to the next level. However, his overthinking and stubbornness has often affected the players negatively this season.
The former Barcelona boss has surprised many with his team selections, which have sometimes worked wonders and sometimes left viewers scratching their heads. Deploying Bernardo Silva as a false nine at Old Trafford was a tactical masterclass as the overload of midfielders created a ruckus for Manchester United. In the return fixture, however, we saw Kyle Walker and Rodri at centre-back and Joao Cancelo at left-back in what was a mental starting XI with City just managing to hold off their bitter rivals to reach the League Cup final.
Pep Guardiola has made a massive 76 changes to his line-ups in the Premier League this season, more than any other manager in the division. He has constantly changed formations, positions and tactics which have started to take a toll on some of the City players. The physical demands of Pep Guardiola and the mental pressure of being a back-to-back title winner has had some serious ramifications at Manchester City.
