OverviewThe following video ( 3 min.) is an incomplete compendium of all the changes and tactical evolutions through his almost 10 years as a First Team Coach. The nickname that he gave to himself (“a stealer of ideas”) doesn´t prevent from valuing him as what he really is: A solid example of someone that fosters innovation using a fantastic balance of intuition and reason. Some of the concepts that he has been able to rescue or invent during his times at Barcelona (2008-2012), Bayern Munich (2014-2016) and Manchester City (2016 – ongoing) are the following: Barcelona 2008-2012Click on each item for details. Width provided by wingersImmersed in a time dominated by teams that played 4-4-2 (with width provided in midfield), in 2008 he recovered the 4-3-3 as a starting point (footnote: it is fair to say that Rijkaard had been using it already at Barcelona). The news is not the use of system itself, but the “why”. By providing width with the wingers (a very basic concept nowadays), Barcelona was able to dominate the center of the field (the most importante zone for Guardiola) with Touré, Xavi, Iniesta and (afterwards) Messi.
Messi as False 9Many times has Guardiola explained the specific moment when he decided to start using Messi as “false 9” (v Real Madrid, in May 2009). ¿Is the false 9 a concept invented by Guardiola? Not at all. But it is an extremely clear example of willingness to innovate and change when needed. Given the historical victory (6-2 v Real Madrid), that concept is now universal.
From Half-Space lane to opposite lane“The goal of the Juego de Posición is not to move the ball, but rather to move the opponent”. This Principle fits perfectly with a clear offensive pattern seen in Pep´s teams (which was exploited afterwards by Luis Enrique´s Barcelona): To generate contexts so that one of the players (normally Xavi or Dani Alves) could cross the ball from one of the Half-Spaces to the opposite one (with another player cutting through).
Bayern Munich 2014-2016False Full-backsIn Bayern Munich, Guardiola changed the offensive movements of Lahm and Alaba (historically traditional full-backs), making them run into the Half-Spaces. What did Guardiola think they would achieve? On one hand, they would provide wingers with more space to play 1v1 (as less players would be occupying the wings); on the other hand, Bayern would be way more prepared for the gegenpressing (pressing immediately after losing the ball) as more players would be closer to the most difficult zones (e.g. those with higher likelihood of being the ones where the loss happened). With that in mind, they would be able to neutralize one of the most powerful weapons by most of the Bundesliga teams: the counterattack.
Douglas Costa, the strength of the weak side.Douglas Costa´s arrival to Munich brought a breath of fresh air to Guardiola. The Brazilian is a specialist in 1v1s. But that was not something new in Bavaria (as Robben and Ribbery do have this ability). Instead, his talent for constantly looking to finalize is what is remarkable.
Read Bayern 3.0 - The latest innovations by Guardiola
Manchester City 2016-ongoingThe WM shape and the Juego de Posición in the Premier League
Guardiola showed clear willingness to innovate and change right from the beginning at Manchester City. In this case, Sagna and Clichy (full-backs) would move to the Half-Spaces to create a WM shape.
About the author Julián Genoud Ex Google | Real Madrid Youth Academy (Tactical Analyst & Administration of Academy) | Master in Talent Development in Football (Escuela de Real Madrid)| Certified Coach (Argentina & Federación Catalana de Fútbol) | Follow me on Twitter & LinkedIn (@juliangenoud). Escribime a juliangenoud-at-gmail.com
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