It was a quiet morning when Manchester City announced Pep Guardiola as their new manager 10 years ago. The news spread like wildfire, and yet it felt almost mundane back then, a bland press release that would change the course of English football forever.
It's not about coaches adapting to English football, Jordi Cruyff once said; it's about English football adapting to the new things in the game. And yet, when Guardiola first arrived at Manchester City, his team struggled to find their footing. He suffered humiliating defeats against Leicester and Everton, and even had a rough ride in the Champions League against Barcelona and Monaco.
Fast forward 10 years, and Cruyff Jr is spot on again. The Premier League has become a far cry from its traditional long-ball, counter-attack style. Guardiola's influence has been instrumental in changing the game, bringing with it his unique brand of possession-based football that rewards creativity and skill over brute force.
It wasn't always easy, however. In his first season, Guardiola struggled to win matches, particularly against teams that favored direct, physical play. When asked about his team's struggles to win tackles, he famously replied, "I'm not a coach for the tackles." But it was clear even then that Guardiola had a different approach in mind.
Today, that approach has become the norm. Teams are taking more risks, launching crosses into the box and leaving defenders scrambling to cope with the sheer intensity of the attacks. Even smaller clubs have adopted this style, leaving traditional long-ball teams like Neil Warnock's Sheffield United looking like dinosaurs from another era.
Warnock himself has become a unlikely ally for Guardiola, the two having developed a close friendship over the years. The former manager was instrumental in bringing Guardiola into the fold, and even attended an evening with him in Manchester. "He still picks my brains," Warnock says. "He's taking in information all the time; you can see his mind working."
But as Guardiola continues to dominate English football, there is a growing sense of resistance against his tactics. Some coaches are pushing back against the Cruyffian way of playing, advocating for more direct, physical football that rewards set pieces and long throws.
It's ironic, then, that this Pep anniversary coincides with the first concerted push back against Guardiola's influence. Warnock feels vindicated, having argued for years that trying to match Guardiola's City was a lost cause. "What people have to realise is they can't match Pep's City in passing around the back," he says wryly.
Yet even as some coaches question Guardiola's methods, it's clear that his legacy will continue to shape English football for years to come. As for Guardiola himself, it's hard to imagine him calling it a day anytime soon. He has one more title left in him, and then – maybe – he'll hang up his boots for good.
It's not about coaches adapting to English football, Jordi Cruyff once said; it's about English football adapting to the new things in the game. And yet, when Guardiola first arrived at Manchester City, his team struggled to find their footing. He suffered humiliating defeats against Leicester and Everton, and even had a rough ride in the Champions League against Barcelona and Monaco.
Fast forward 10 years, and Cruyff Jr is spot on again. The Premier League has become a far cry from its traditional long-ball, counter-attack style. Guardiola's influence has been instrumental in changing the game, bringing with it his unique brand of possession-based football that rewards creativity and skill over brute force.
It wasn't always easy, however. In his first season, Guardiola struggled to win matches, particularly against teams that favored direct, physical play. When asked about his team's struggles to win tackles, he famously replied, "I'm not a coach for the tackles." But it was clear even then that Guardiola had a different approach in mind.
Today, that approach has become the norm. Teams are taking more risks, launching crosses into the box and leaving defenders scrambling to cope with the sheer intensity of the attacks. Even smaller clubs have adopted this style, leaving traditional long-ball teams like Neil Warnock's Sheffield United looking like dinosaurs from another era.
Warnock himself has become a unlikely ally for Guardiola, the two having developed a close friendship over the years. The former manager was instrumental in bringing Guardiola into the fold, and even attended an evening with him in Manchester. "He still picks my brains," Warnock says. "He's taking in information all the time; you can see his mind working."
But as Guardiola continues to dominate English football, there is a growing sense of resistance against his tactics. Some coaches are pushing back against the Cruyffian way of playing, advocating for more direct, physical football that rewards set pieces and long throws.
It's ironic, then, that this Pep anniversary coincides with the first concerted push back against Guardiola's influence. Warnock feels vindicated, having argued for years that trying to match Guardiola's City was a lost cause. "What people have to realise is they can't match Pep's City in passing around the back," he says wryly.
Yet even as some coaches question Guardiola's methods, it's clear that his legacy will continue to shape English football for years to come. As for Guardiola himself, it's hard to imagine him calling it a day anytime soon. He has one more title left in him, and then – maybe – he'll hang up his boots for good.
. 10 years ago, he was seen as this crazy foreigner who's gonna ruin our beautiful game... but now? He's the king 
! The Premier League has gone from being all about grinding out wins to actually being exciting again 
. I love how teams are taking more risks and playing more like Barcelona did under Pep's coaching 
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. He was always like the anti-Guardiola, but you can see he respects his genius. The pushback against Guardiola's influence is interesting, but I don't think anyone can match what he's achieved 
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. But even if that happens, his legacy will live on through all the teams he's inspired 
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. Now its all about possession and creating scoring chances, and it's opened up a whole new level of strategy in football. But at the same time, I get why some coaches are pushing back - sometimes direct play can be effective too 
. And who knows when Pep will finally retire? He's still got that fire in his belly 
but now they're realizing how BIG of a change he brought 
Pep's influence is SO huge & imo u can't match his City no matter what 
teams r starting 2 adopt this new way of playing n its like the whole league is evolving 
his style is all about possession & creativity, rewards skill over brute force 
and ur right jordi cruyff jr is spot on again! 
but at same time, ur getting some resistance from coaches who dont wanna match pep's way of playing 
esp neil warnock, he was instrumental in bringing pep 2 manchester city & now hes an ally 
ur right tho, pep's legacy will keep shaping english football 4 yrs 2 come 
& as 4 Pep himself, he's still got that fire 
he was always ahead of the game, no wonder they're only just catching up 
, proof that even some of the old-school managers can see the benefits of the new way of playing 
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. like pep guardiola's influence on the prem is huge, but can we talk about how hard it is to read through all these long posts? my eyes glaze over just looking at that article 
. and the comments section? more cringeworthy than ever 
. seriously though, who needs all this negativity when you could just have a calm discussion? some people say guardiola's tactics are the reason for all the changes in the prem... personally, i think it's just about adapting to the game 
anyway, i'm just here for the beautiful goals 
Guardiola's influence has changed the game so much, teams r now takin more risks & bein all intense & creative 
, it's wild how much his influence has changed the game 
, saying it's not about adapting to English football, but about the league adapting to new things in the game 
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. But overall, Guardiola's legacy is gonna keep on changing English football for years to come 
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. So yeah, one more title left in him? Yeah, I believe it 
, but I gotta say, the way he changed English football was both awesome and kinda eerie 
. One minute it's all about long balls and brute force, and the next it's like everyone's trying to out-possess each other with fancy footwork 
. Don't get me wrong, I'm here for the skill and creativity, but sometimes I miss that raw, physicality of old-school football 
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. Of course, Warnock has his say in that, saying Guardiola's City was always going to be ahead of the curve 
. Still, I think some coaches are right to question whether this all-out possession-based approach is sustainable long-term 
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. Warnock saying it now but he was always right about Guardiola being the best 
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