Nine games, 32 goals: just how can Guardiola’s men be stopped?

James Ducker suggests five ways to thwart the league leaders

Flood the middle of the pitch

There is no catch-all solution but deploying three centrehalves, wing-backs and three athletic midfielders, or a compact 4-5-1 system that also seeks to consistently reduce the space between the lines and force Manchester City to go around you, is one way of limiting their ability to get the ball into those little pockets off the front.

“I would try to force them wide as much as possible by flooding the middle of the pitch,” former Hull City and Ireland international defender Alex Bruce said. “But there has to be sustained pressure on the cross because you can’t give the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane time to pick their passes.”

Man-mark De B ruy ne and Silva

Everton had some success in their 1-1 draw at City in August by having Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin closely shadow playmakers De Bruyne and David Silva.

David Preece, the former Sunderland goalkeeper, expects to see one or two coaches specifically task players with trying to manmark the pair.

“By doing that you are in danger of putting your finger in the dam and risking leaks popping up in other places,” Preece said. “But it could it force them into playing another way and at least then you’re not just accepting what’s being given to you. It’s about making the opposition do something they normally don’t do.”

Target O ta men di and Del ph

With City’s players still trying to grasp Pep Guardiola’s methods and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo breeding anxiety last season, opponents had success pressing them high and forcing individual errors.

That is proving problematic this term. Ederson has been a top-class recruit in goal, there is less over-elaboration at the back, they are not afraid to vary the play by knocking the ball long, players are interpreting Guardiola’s ideas better and they play a higher line.

Attack should not be discounted as an important form of defence for City’s opponents, though, and former Chelsea, Fulham and Leicester goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer agree that if there is a weakness in Guardiola’s side, it is on the left side of their defence with Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph, a midfielder by trade.

“Otamendi loves to be on the front foot and he can over-commit easily so he’s one you’d be looking to get at,” Schwarzer said. “You can draw yellow cards out of him.”

Embrace the dark arts

Barcelona in the first of four matches between the sides in April and May 2011, Jose Mourinho instructed Real’s groundsman to let the grass grow to more than 100mm – four times the usual length – in a bid to slow the run of the ball and, in turn, disrupt Barcelona’s passing game.

Bruce said he would be surprised if Premier League sides were not taking a leaf out of Mourinho’s book whenever City are in town.

“Give them a short, zippy surface and they’re going to move the ball much quicker and make your job even harder,” he said.

Time-wasting is a tool available to opponents seeking to gain a small, if controversial, advantage over City.

Schwarzer recalled going to Anfield with Chelsea in 2014, when Liverpool were within reach of the title, and frustrating their hosts by manipulating the clock en route to a 2-0 win.

“We went there with instructions to frustrate them, slow the game down at every opportunity and get under their skin,” Schwarzer explained. “And it worked incredibly well.”

Kill them with kindness

Antagonise some players and you might just provoke them into doing something daft.

“I remember going to Anfield and being under instruction to wind up Mario Balotelli as much as I could – get in his ear, stand on his feet, nip him, do whatever you can to rile him because he’ll end up wanting to fight you,” Bruce recalled.

However, adopting such tactics against this City side could prove counter-productive.

“Most of them seem pretty mellow characters, they aren’t hotheads,” Bruce says. “If you get them angry, you’re probably playing with fire. Annoying Sergio Aguero, for example, is just dangerous.”

Similarly, Schwarzer is convinced City’s other principal striker, Gabriel Jesus, actually relishes the rough stuff. As such, Bruce suggests the opposite approach – be nice.

“Try to kill them with kindness,” he said. “‘Sorry about that mate, I didn’t mean to kick you’, pick them up, put your arm around them. It sounds ridiculous but it can make a difference.”