Pep Guardiola joked he selected his Manchester City team at Chelsea due to fan pressure, but won the game with opposite tactics.
The smile could not have been bigger when Pep Guardiola was asked why he chose his Manchester City starting XI at Chelsea.
“Everybody asked for this line up, I follow my fans!” he joked, alluding to the fact that supporters have been asking for Phil Foden to return for weeks, along with Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker.
Twitter erupted, feeling validated that Guardiola is more than aware of what they are saying, and even when the manager reverted to his tried and tested explanation of “there is no specific reason why” he picked his City side, it felt as though Guardiola may finally have decided to take into account the constructive criticism from the terraces.
However, when the City XI lined up at Stamford Bridge, it was apparent that Guardiola’s admission about the fans was as truthful as another comment that: “I don’t care for the tactics today.” This was probably just Guardiola joking around to make the endless interviews more bearable. Of course he had detailed reasons to pick the side he did.
Because he played Joao Cancelo on the right side of the midfield, Rodri dropped back into defence, which was effectively a back-three throughout, and Bernardo Silva played deeper in midfield to allow Kevin De Bruyne to roam.
But by full time, Guardiola was apologising to his players – a rare admission of guilt from someone who so often gets it so right. “I’m sorry for Joao because he struggles in not his position, I thought the space would be there,” he said. “I admire, I say thank you to Joao and Rodri not playing their position. We decided to play a line up that adapts to their line up.”
If this was the starting team that most City fans would consider their strongest, even if the formation was unexpected, it simply didn’t work at Chelsea. Guardiola deserves credit for changing it.
At half-time, Guardiola hooked both Walker and Cancelo, bringing on Rico Lewis to cover right-back and defensive midfield, and Manu Akanji to play at centre-back and allow Rodri to revert to his usual position. Bernardo switched out wide, and suddenly City were more balanced and far more fluent.
One issue remained, though, as Phil Foden was anonymous for much of the game, and Guardiola changed things up again on the hour mark. On came the somewhat-unpopular combination of Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez, meaning for the final half-hour City had the same XI on the pitch that started the win at Leeds, and only one difference from the side that Guardiola thought played so well against Everton.
The starting line-up may have been one favoured by the fans, but the side that won the game was undoubtedly a Pep Guardiola side. And it reaped immediate rewards, with Grealish and Mahrez combining for the only goal just three minutes later, and City controlling possession to secure three vital points. The more conservative attack that Guardiola has favoured in recent games was the one that made the difference, and might be the one that takes on Manchester United at Old Trafford next week.
Guardiola will always have a good relationship with the City fanbase who adore him. His acknowledgement of their clamour to start Foden only proves that he respects the Blues support and sees exactly where they are coming from. The fact that the initial tactics didn’t work out will not change the view that City are more exciting when they play faster in attack and are more direct in getting the ball to Foden on the wings. It also suggests he realises the importance of keeping fans onside; that even if you have won four of the last five titles, you are not immune from criticism.
However, everything Guardiola has been saying in recent weeks was proved right at Chelsea. There are indeed some players who are rustier than others after the World Cup, and the impact of Grealish and Mahrez was undeniable – at least one of the duo has been involved in each of City’s last four goals, and Grealish now has three assists in as many games after registering none before the World Cup.
Guardiola will always reward in-form players, and he will feel his tactics against Leeds and Everton have been justified by the same players proving the difference at Chelsea. In a carefully negotiated game of chess with City fans on Thursday night, Guardiola may have strengthened that relationship, and also reminded everyone who is the master just in the space of 90 minutes.
Source: manchestereveningnews.com
