Sport nationthe title race is now between us and….” Guardiola bound thoughts after seeing Arsenal display the gives him an edge far above Arsebal, the title race is now between man City and Chelsea and Manchester united(opinion)
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Pep Guardiola could do something he’s never done before in Sheffield United vs Man City
The Manchester City boss will be hoping his side can maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season when they visit Bramall Lane with Juanma Lillo on the touchline.
Pep Guardiola never ceases to amaze us. Every single season the Manchester City boss concocts another tactical plan that we all think sounds utterly ridiculous, yet somehow he manages to make it work.
Playing without a striker, John Stones in midfield, full-backs not playing at full-back – you name it, he’s tried it. Trying to guess what’s coming next has become almost as enjoyable as the football he serves up, and yet, nobody envisaged him going all Tony Pulis on us and playing with four centre-backs.
The City boss trialled the tactic last season and clearly liked what he saw as the Blues powered past Arsenal to claim their third consecutive Premier League crown. The ploy has yet to be seen this term, with Kyle Walker starting all three of City’s games so far. Guardiola even had the audacity to play two full-backs and two centre-backs in the opening day win over Burnley.
Pep has occasionally been accused of tinkering for the sake of tinkering, though the results speak for themselves; 11 league titles in 14 seasons in management is a truly phenomenal achievement.
READ MORE: Lillo opens up on Guardiola quality that should worry City rivals
More records could be set to tumble this season as City aim to become the first side to ever claim four consecutive Premier League crowns. Guardiola’s sights are firmly set on unchartered territory, and the Blues boss (with a little help from his dugout replacement, Juanma Lillo, though he insists Pep will still be in control) could even do something he’s never done before as a manager as early as Sunday – and his unconventional backline deserves plenty of plaudits if he does.
Never has a team managed by Guardiola kicked off a league campaign with three consecutive clean sheets, including his time in charge of Barcelona and his three years in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
The trip to Sheffield United offers him the chance to do just that, with the 3-0 win over Burnley and last week’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle meaning City are already the only team in the English top flight yet to concede a league goal in 2023/24.
While some may view the above as relatively inconsequential given the time left in the season, the Blues’ perfect start to the campaign should not be ignored. A buoyant Burnley side playing at a raucous Turf Moor could easily have served up the first banana skin of the season, while City should be applauded for their no-nonsense triumph over Champions League Newcastle less than 72 hours after their Super Cup win.
It seems bizarre to think there is anything in football that Guardiola is yet to do. The Catalan coach has dominated three of Europe’s top leagues, has three Champions League medals to his name and is the proud manager of arguably the greatest team in Premier League history.
Should City walk away from Bramall Lane with a clean sheet, it’s unlikely Guardiola will wipe the Champions League medals from his mantlepiece and replace them with a printout of the league table showing City are yet to concede a goal three games in, but the feat would definitely send out a statement to the rest of the league.
City might be renowned for their attractive football and intricate play, but, as a certain someone once said, attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.
Get City transfer updates on WhatsApp!
The transfer window is in full swing and City have been busy, with high-profile signings and sales aplenty.
City snapped up Croatian pair Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively with the latest addition being Jeremy Doku. In terms of outgoings, Treble winner Ilkay Gundogan departed for Barcelona, while Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia.
Our team of City experts will be on top of all the goings-on at the Etihad for the remainder of the summer window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.
Pep Guardiola could do something he’s never done before in Sheffield United vs Man City
The Manchester City boss will be hoping his side can maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season when they visit Bramall Lane with Juanma Lillo on the touchline.
Pep Guardiola never ceases to amaze us. Every single season the Manchester City boss concocts another tactical plan that we all think sounds utterly ridiculous, yet somehow he manages to make it work.
Playing without a striker, John Stones in midfield, full-backs not playing at full-back – you name it, he’s tried it. Trying to guess what’s coming next has become almost as enjoyable as the football he serves up, and yet, nobody envisaged him going all Tony Pulis on us and playing with four centre-backs.
The City boss trialled the tactic last season and clearly liked what he saw as the Blues powered past Arsenal to claim their third consecutive Premier League crown. The ploy has yet to be seen this term, with Kyle Walker starting all three of City’s games so far. Guardiola even had the audacity to play two full-backs and two centre-backs in the opening day win over Burnley.
Pep has occasionally been accused of tinkering for the sake of tinkering, though the results speak for themselves; 11 league titles in 14 seasons in management is a truly phenomenal achievement.
READ MORE: Lillo opens up on Guardiola quality that should worry City rivals
More records could be set to tumble this season as City aim to become the first side to ever claim four consecutive Premier League crowns. Guardiola’s sights are firmly set on unchartered territory, and the Blues boss (with a little help from his dugout replacement, Juanma Lillo, though he insists Pep will still be in control) could even do something he’s never done before as a manager as early as Sunday – and his unconventional backline deserves plenty of plaudits if he does.
Never has a team managed by Guardiola kicked off a league campaign with three consecutive clean sheets, including his time in charge of Barcelona and his three years in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
The trip to Sheffield United offers him the chance to do just that, with the 3-0 win over Burnley and last week’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle meaning City are already the only team in the English top flight yet to concede a league goal in 2023/24.
While some may view the above as relatively inconsequential given the time left in the season, the Blues’ perfect start to the campaign should not be ignored. A buoyant Burnley side playing at a raucous Turf Moor could easily have served up the first banana skin of the season, while City should be applauded for their no-nonsense triumph over Champions League Newcastle less than 72 hours after their Super Cup win.
It seems bizarre to think there is anything in football that Guardiola is yet to do. The Catalan coach has dominated three of Europe’s top leagues, has three Champions League medals to his name and is the proud manager of arguably the greatest team in Premier League history.
Should City walk away from Bramall Lane with a clean sheet, it’s unlikely Guardiola will wipe the Champions League medals from his mantlepiece and replace them with a printout of the league table showing City are yet to concede a goal three games in, but the feat would definitely send out a statement to the rest of the league.
City might be renowned for their attractive football and intricate play, but, as a certain someone once said, attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.
Get City transfer updates on WhatsApp!
The transfer window is in full swing and City have been busy, with high-profile signings and sales aplenty.
City snapped up Croatian pair Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively with the latest addition being Jeremy Doku. In terms of outgoings, Treble winner Ilkay Gundogan departed for Barcelona, while Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia.
Our team of City experts will be on top of all the goings-on at the Etihad for the remainder of the summer window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.
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