How Guardiola's Ideas Changed Football

At the end of his peak career, when he was no longer playing in Europe, Guardiola felt the changes made him redundant, both tactically and literally. "Players like me are extinct," he said at the time.

In 2004, the role of a deep-lying midfielder was no longer appreciated. Football has evolved and craves other qualities from midfielders. "My skills have not diminished," added Guardiola. "It's just that football is different. To play against a back four, you have to be able to challenge, tackle, like Patrick Vieira or Edgar Davids. If you can pass, that's a plus."

In 2023, when preparing with Man City to play Crystal Palace led by Patrick Vieira, everything changed. It was the kind of football described by Guardiola back then, though it seemed unrecognizable to a younger audience. Football changed again, and it was Guardiola who did it.

At Selhurst Park today, Rodri will likely be the deepest midfielder. He played stronger and contested better than Guardiola, but probably the main kick was mainly thanks to his ability to pass the ball similar to his compatriot. There have been 2,046 passes made by Rodri in the Premier League this season - 314 more than the nearest man.

When Guardiola dismissed Yaya Toure and chose Sergio Busquets to make his Barca debut at the bottom of the midfield, commanding Xavi's play in his first home game at Camp Nou, no one expected him to set the ball up. rock in a different way. Tiki-taka is about to enter the English vocabulary.

Recalling Guardiola's own words to him after two decades and ten league titles, the 52-year-old is no longer tough in his opinion. Football has "bend" to Guardiola's will, but the overall situation remains unchanged.

"My physicality doesn't allow me to play the way we need to play now," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "Maybe they'll make me take more vitamins, I'll eat better or sleep better. I might be stronger, I don't know. But I have the feeling that the players in that era, they were quicker on their feet. ".

But for all the physical prowess of the modern player, statistics show fewer tackles in the Premier League than there were a decade ago. Guardiola - the man who went to England and immediately insisted that he was not a tackle manager - found a consensus in football. Meanwhile, the passes, increasing. There have been a total of nearly 50,000 passes in the Premier League in the 10 years since 2011 - the time when Guardiola was worshiped at Barca with a second Champions League title against Man Utd.

It's a tactical concept that would be hard to believe, for either player or manager, without Guardiola. "I don't know," said the Spain coach, smiling and refusing to accept any praise. But the answer is very clear. Arteta has been described by former Man City captain Vincent Kompany as "an extension of Guardiola" - the two are very much in tune on how to build the game.

Not only Arteta, Vincent Kompany is also a challenge for Guardiola when his Burnley will meet Man City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on March 18. Burnley transformed under Kompany, when averaging 64% ball control to lead the Championship, 10 points ahead of the chasing group.

And yet, in Spain, Xavi helped Barca topple Real in the Spanish Super Cup and is aiming for the first La Liga title since 2019.

Perhaps what Guardiola needs as a player at the end of his career is a teacher like... Guardiola. He traveled to Mexico in 2005 in search of such a coach and played his last games at Dorados de Sinaloa under Juanma Lillo - his later assistant at Man City.

At that time, Guardiola was like a backward man, a man out of time. But perhaps football is only cyclical, and Guardiola believes the best ideas will work for all time. "I'm pretty sure that playing like 20 or 30 years ago would work today as well," he said. "It's not because Arsenal or Burnley or Xavi at Barca do it. Football is football since it was created. The passes are the same, the pitch is the same. Not 14v 14, but 11v11. What matters most is how you read the situation."

The 52-year-old coach continued: "Passes are always possible, every time. Then, the quality of the players we have up front, many other aspects. But to play football like those 1970 against Brazil, or 1980s or 1990s, of course you can. It depends on how the coaches feel, how they want the club to play. Simple as that. In the next 20 years, if If there is a coach who likes the way Arsenal, Barca, Burnley or Man City are playing, they will let the club play like that."

Reluctant to admit being the key figure connecting some of Europe's most successful managers today, Guardiola is more comfortable discussing his own inspirations. He continues to harbor the idea that without Johan Cruyff he would have ended up in Spain's third tier rather than win the European Cup at the age of 21. Cruyff once mocked Guardiola for being slow when he first looked at him. play, but continues to give faith to this Spaniard to play a key role in the dream team at Barca.

Speaking of Cruyff in 2016, Guardiola asserted that his influence on the next generation, his influence on his players, is the true mark of greatness, more than any number of trophies he has won. gain. "All I can say is that Cruyff's influence on me is huge. It's a fact," said Guardiola, referring to his remarks seven years ago.

But, again, Guardiola denies his influence. "At the same time, I'm not here to change anything or influence other generations," he continued. "That's going to be very presumptuous. And there's some incredible aspects to them developing a play that's out of my control. When this happens, you have to be firm and say 'I love watching our team. I play the way I want to see it'. That's the most important thing, and what happens, happens. As for the others, that's the question for others."