"brought English football the news that would change it for ever. That was a simpler time, pre-Brexit and Donald Trump's presidency, and before centre-halves in League Two would split wide for the keeper to pass out from the back to the holding midfielder, dropping in to receive the ball as a false 9 came deep to link with full-backs stepping into midfield."
"It's not about coaches adapting to English football, said Jordi Cruyff in 2016 as Guardiola began to make his mark on England. It's about English football adapting to the new things of the game. And yet that typical Cruyffian confidence looked like hubris when Guardiola's Manchester City got hammered 4-2 by Leicester, 4-0 by Everton and experienced Champions League humiliations at Barcelona and Monaco in that first season."
Pep Guardiola was appointed Manchester City manager ten years ago. Early results included heavy Premier League and Champions League defeats, revealing the initial mismatch between ideas and outcomes. Jordi Cruyff argued that English football would adapt to Guardiola's methods rather than the other way around. Guardiola introduced Barcelona-inspired positional play, encouraging playing from the back, false nines, and full-backs stepping into midfield. Patience from Manchester City's ownership allowed tactical development. Over the decade, Premier League clubs of all sizes have adopted riskier, possession-based approaches, more players entering the box, and a generally more open, attack-minded style.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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