HOW DO MAN CITY COMPARE TO PEP GUARDIOLA'S BARCELONA?
PEP GUARDIOLA says he is game. using the same style he employed PASSZMIKN11G,500
Otno eZMKo10f,90t0he most interesting at Barcelona to achieve
PIbrexemShioeprpinLgeMaaglul. eCosnutacct: ess with patterns during Guardiola’s tenures M097a7n-c4h97e5s6te3r/095C5-i1ty0.901H7 ere, we has been the rising number lRo5o4k61-0a7t-13how his teams comp...a...r..e of passes, season on season - a . reflection of his teams’ increasing
City dominated rivals MancThWeOster dominance of the ball and UnitBeEdDdRuOrOinMgEDa 2-1 win their oFpropmonents. oSnEMSI-uDnITdAaCyH, uanredairola's side Barca only averaged 546
passZeMsKp9,e0r00game during his first recording a record-breaking 14th successive league victory in a season at the Nou Camp, but single campaign to move into aonn reached a remarkable 747 during 11-point lead atop the Premimearchine his third term in 2010/11. LPLeAaSgTuEeR. At City, Guardiola averaged
ft0e9r77-4th20e965ga/me09, uardiola close to that career-low tally w64a4s46a9sR5p4r7o0u-0d2-1o4f the manner in with 598 passes per game last w h...i.c..h h...i.s...t..e..a..m h...a..d p..e...r.f. ormed as season, but that figure has soared the result. ”People say the way to 724 during this campaign. w2 eBpElDaRyOeOdMinEDBaFrLcAeTlonINa, it is not POSSESSION pEoMsMsAibSlDeAiLnEE. nFogrlamnodre.” said. “It CiRtuynning efronm joyed a huge 64.6 is possible. Always it is possible per cent of the ball at Old Trafford to play football, to keep the ball on Sunday - the most any and to have the courage to play.” Premier League team has had Here, we examine the stats to against United. But that was
low by their own standards cHoOmUSpEare thFeORstylesSAoLfE GuarCdoimoe- this season. City have averaged la’s Barcelona, Bayern Munich 71.6 per cent possession and Manchester City teams.
in 2017/18, similar to the 72.8 Awitnhda,a3f0tebrya2s5emaesteorns oprficaedaptation
per cent Guardiola’s Barcelona to the English game, there seems
enjoyed in 2010/11. to be a clear correlation between
Again, the speed of development the way his current side are performing has been staggering during and his dominant Barca
eRoiand Manchester. City aveMroabgueJdoe64.9 of the past... per cent possession RESULTS the lowest of Guardiola’s
City are undefeated in the managerial career. league with a remarkable 93.8 GOALS per cent win rate, taking 2.88 City have scored 48 goals points per game - having only from 16 fixtures to date, equating dRr5o55p9p-0e3d-13points during a 1-1 t&oCondtihtiornseApeplygoals per game - that is draw against Everton in August the same as Guardiola’s 2011/12 after Kyle Walker was sent off in Barcelona team managed. the first half. In terms of shots, his teams
Of course, the season is not have never averaged fewer than yet at its halfway point but 15.6, or more than 18.7 per game Guardiola is not unfamiliar with - with a minimum of 5.7 on tarstaggering win rates. His first get during his first term at City term at Bayern saw an 85.29 per and a maximum of 7.7 during his cent win rate and 2.65 points per last term at Bayern. DEFENSIVE
With the increased dominance of possession, Guardiola’s teams have required fewer tackles and interceptions over the last nine years. His team recorded in excess of 20 per game during his early years at Barca but City have needed to average just 15 tackles and 9.5 interceptions this term.
GOALS CONCEDED
For all the attacking flair Guardiola’s teams have become associated with, he is also a manager whose teams concede very few goals. After a summer of investing heavily to sign fullbacks Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, as well as goalkeeper Ederson, City are now replicating the mean defences of his Barcelona and Bayern Munich sides.
City have conceded 0.7 goals per game this season - a significant improvement on their onegoal-per-game rate last season, which was a career high for Guardiola. CONCLUSION
While the season still has a long way to go - and Guardiola is yet to lift any silverware at City - the stats suggest City are on course to hit some tremendous heights under the Spaniard’s management, with a style comparable to some of his finest teams of the past.
However, they still have a little way to go to be considered right up there with his best. After the Manchester derby, Guardiola was asked whether he had every overseen a more dominant victory against United, to which he cited the Champions League final victory with that Barca team in 2011.